Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Carved fully in the round, the statuette impresses by the delicacy of its execution and its monumental character. The sculptor introduced optical corrections to accommodate a low vantage point, as from a prie-dieu (the Virgin's left eye is slightly higher than her right eye, so that when seen from below both eyes remain visible and appear focused on the Child). The surface, worn by kisses and caresses, attests to the intimate rapport of the devout with images during the Middle Ages.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.