The Death of the Virgin (The Dormition)

Tilman Heysacker

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This high-relief sculpture, once painted, was the central scene of an altarpiece, the wings of which depicted the Birth of the Virgin and the Nativity. According to the Golden Legend, the twelve apostles gathered at the Virgin’s deathbed. Saint Peter, holding a book, officiates. Next to him, an apostle sprinkles holy water. At the foot of the bed, one apostle perfumes the air with incense. Saint Thomas is missing; according to legend he arrived too late and, characteristically, doubted the Assumption of the Virgin’s body into heaven until an angel dropped Mary’s belt down to him as proof.

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