Straw

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This straw is one of an ensemble containing some of the elements needed for the celebration of the Eucharist: the paten for the bread (acc. no. 47.101.27), the chalice to hold the wine (acc. no. 47.101.26), and, exceptionally, a straw to sip the wine. Straws such as this rare example were used to prevent spilling even a drop of the consecrated wine. The representation of Saint Trudpert on the paten indicates that the ensemble was made for the monastery dedicated to him near Freiburg im Breisgau, where he was martyred.

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