Crucifix

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Meant to be seen from both front and back, this large Crucifix represents Jesus hanging on the Cross, but nonetheless triumphant over death: his eyes are wide open, and he wears the gold crown of the King of Heaven. Though the original church from which this image comes is not known, figures of the living Christ on the Cross are found often in Romanesque Spain. A remarkable amount of the twelfth-century paint on the figure is preserved. There are conflicting accounts about the original provenance of the Crucifix; one source attributes it to the later convent of Santa Clara at Astudillo, near Palencia, but the source is not reliable.

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