Plaque with Saints Peter and Paul

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Saints Peter and Paul appear on this steatite plaque holding their symbols, a cross and a book. The haloed saints, founding fathers of the Christian church, are celebrated together on June 29. Exquisitely carved steatites were popular in the Byzantine Empire from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries. This work is an outstanding example of the later period.

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