Reliquary Bust of a Female Saint

Reliquary Bust of a Female Saint

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bust reliquaries for the skulls of saints were placed on or near altars and, by the late Middle Ages, often assembled in large numbers in church sanctuaries. The small glazed medallion resembling jewelry once displayed additional relics. On particular feast days, such reliquaries were carried in processions.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Reliquary Bust of a Female SaintReliquary Bust of a Female SaintReliquary Bust of a Female SaintReliquary Bust of a Female SaintReliquary Bust of a Female Saint

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.