Shoe Reliquary

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scenes of the life of Saint Margaret decorate this case, which was probably intended to hold a foot-shaped reliquary of precious material. Near the lock plate, the saint bursts free from the body of a dragon that had swallowed her. Because she overcame the ordeal unharmed, women suffering the pains of childbirth turned to Saint Margaret in prayer; it has been suggested that the loop at the back of this case would have allowed the reliquary to be suspended over an expectant woman’s bed.

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