Woman Dispensing Poison from the Legend of Saint Germain of Paris

Woman Dispensing Poison from the Legend of Saint Germain of Paris

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This panel is one of two scenes from the Legend of Saint Germain of Paris. Here the woman carrying flasks is part of a sequence recounting an attempt to poison the youthful Germain, who became bishop of Paris in the sixth century. The figure dominates the composition, fully commanding the dark blue ground against which she is placed. Details of the setting are minimal, lending a sense of the otherworldly to the vision, and forms are suggested by color masses, contrast of tone, and painted line.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Woman Dispensing Poison from the Legend of Saint Germain of ParisWoman Dispensing Poison from the Legend of Saint Germain of ParisWoman Dispensing Poison from the Legend of Saint Germain of ParisWoman Dispensing Poison from the Legend of Saint Germain of ParisWoman Dispensing Poison from the Legend of Saint Germain of Paris

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.