Corner Capital with the Dream of the Magi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

An angel swoops down to touch a sleeping king. Three additional kings form the group of Wise Men who, according to Christian belief, followed a star to find the infant Jesus and pay homage to him. While the gospel of Saint Matthew that tells of their visit does not specify the number of Magi (the “magicians” or astrologers of their day) who made the journey, traditionally, they are represented as a group of three, corresponding to the three types of gifts specified: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. To protect the child from the jealous rage of Herod, king of Judaea under the Romans, the angel warned the Magi in a dream not to divulge the whereabouts of Jesus. The abbey of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, founded in 936 by Raymond Pons, count of Toulouse, flourished in the Middle Ages but was badly damaged in 1567 during an attack by the Huguenots, French Protestants. This capital, clearly damaged, may have been removed at that time.

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