Plaque from a Reliquary

Plaque from a Reliquary

Master of the Virgin Mary's Reliquary Casket

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although subtle variations of pattern and color distinguish these three plaques from one another, they once formed part of the decoration of a single reliquary. Roman numerals scratched into the reverse indicated where they were to be set, with other figural and decorative elements, on a large house-shaped shrine or other devotional object.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plaque from a ReliquaryPlaque from a ReliquaryPlaque from a ReliquaryPlaque from a ReliquaryPlaque from a Reliquary

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.