Head of Saint James the Greater

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Carved with virtuoso technical mastery, this majestic head of Saint James originally formed a full-length figure similar to the nearby sculptures from Poligny, France. As a popular protectorate saint for pilgrims, James was revered throughout France and Spain. His melancholic appearance is counterbalanced by an extravagant wooly hat emblazoned with his symbol, the scallop shell. The commanding presence and serenity of expression is exceptional in 15th-century French sculpture. The carver was influenced by the great Burgundian court sculptor Claus Sluter, active in Dijon around 1400.

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