Holy-water Font

Guglielmus

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scenes of the life of Saint Rainerius encircle this font. The son of a merchant of Pisa, he lived for a time in the Holy Land. The saint wears a hair shirt, emblematic of his austere life. Several of Rainerius’ miracles involve holy water; his legend is thus appropriate for a font. Rainerius became the patron saint of Pisa following his death in 1160. Carved in high relief from fine marble, the font probably was created in the workshop of a sculptor named Guglielmus, who was responsible for much of the interior stone decoration of Pisa Cathedral.

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