Fragment of a Compendium of the Genealogy of Christ

Fragment of a Compendium of the Genealogy of Christ

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Written by Peter of Poitiers, chancellor at the University of Paris from 1193 to 1205, and frequently copied, the Compendium historiale in genealogia Christi is an account of world history in the form of a genealogical tree of Christ. In addition to line drawings of the Nativity and the biblical kings David and Zedekiah, the manuscript contains diagrams of the Mansions in the Desert (where the Israelites stopped during the Exodus), the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and the city of Jerusalem.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fragment of a Compendium of the Genealogy of ChristFragment of a Compendium of the Genealogy of ChristFragment of a Compendium of the Genealogy of ChristFragment of a Compendium of the Genealogy of ChristFragment of a Compendium of the Genealogy of Christ

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.