Painting of Holy Men

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This late-antique painting on linen depicts two men standing next to a column. While we do not know the identities of the men, the eta-symbol on their clothing and their nimbus suggest that they were Christian holy men, perhaps martyrs or monks. Stylistically, the textile belongs to a late-antique painting tradition that evolves in the classical world and continues from late antiquity into the early Byzantine era.

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