Clasp

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The monumental classicizing figure style and the soft tubular drapery typify the transitional style of about 1200. The masterful rendering of this object has led scholars to associate it with the work of Nicholas of Verdun, an outstanding goldsmith of the period. The figures are generally thought to represent Solomon and the queen of Sheba, but they also have been interpreted as Ahasuerus and Esther. A similar clasp was excavated at Dune in Gotland; although the style is different, parallels in iconography suggest a common traditional source. The clasp probably was intended as a girdle or cloak closure.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art