Bursa Reliquary

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The flat, geometric, and abstract style of the designs on this reliquary is similar to ivory carvings and architectural decoration of northern Italy. The openwork patterns of the bone plaques were originally silhouetted against gilded copper foil, creating a play of light and shadow. Traces of green and vermilion paint can still be seen accentuating the interlace borders of the designs. The religious purpose of this box is indicated by the "cross" that divides its face into four fields. Its shape derives from purses, or bursas, made of precious textiles in which saints’ relics were carried.

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