Adoration of the Magi

Adoration of the Magi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cartapesta (papier-maché) was an inexpensive and widely used medium for sculpture in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Due to its inherent fragility, few examples survive. This relief includes a playful detail embraced by artists working in other media as well: as the kneeling king touches the baby Jesus, the child reaches for his beard and grasps a tuft of hair on his balding pate.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Adoration of the MagiAdoration of the MagiAdoration of the MagiAdoration of the MagiAdoration of the Magi

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.