Diptych with Scenes from the Passion

Diptych with Scenes from the Passion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This diminutive ivory diptych represents two scenes leading to the Passion of the Christs, the washing of the feet of the Apostles and the Agony in the Garden. This iconography is unusual for ivory diptychs of 14th and 15th century northern Europe, which when adorned with a single scene normally represent the Epiphany, Passion, and the Virgin and Child. This unusual iconography, the irregular frame, and small dimensions suggest that the diptych is composed of fragments of a larger ivory plaque that represented scenes from the Passion. It is likely that such a plaque was sawn into pieces and reassembled sometime after its creation, perhaps by a later owner seeking to salvage elements after damage.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Diptych with Scenes from the PassionDiptych with Scenes from the PassionDiptych with Scenes from the PassionDiptych with Scenes from the PassionDiptych with Scenes from the Passion

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.