Statuette of the Virgin and Child

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This boxwood statuette, carved entirely in the round, depicts the Virgin Mary standing and holding her infant son Jesus, her body shifted to accommodate his weight. Though the two figures’ arrangement is typical of late medieval representations of Mary and her son, the inclusion of a basket in Jesus’ hands is an unusual detail. An object like this statuette, notable for its diminutive size, likely would have been found in a domestic setting, where it served as a focus of personal devotion. A hole drilled into the back of the statuette indicates that it was originally mounted to a wall or piece of furniture, while Mary’s downward gaze suggests an intended placement slightly above the eyes of the original owner. A testament to the popularity and increasing accessibility of religious images for the late medieval faithful, this image helps to conjure the role and presence of religion in the domestic sphere of medieval life.

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