Scenes from the Life of the Virgin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wearing a red-and-gold brocaded dress and carried along by six angels, Mary ascends into heaven at the center of this five-part composition. Other episodes from her life unfold around this principal scene. Beginning in the upper left corner is the Presentation of the young Mary in the Temple, followed by the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth in the upper right corner. The Annunciation at left and the Adoration of the Magi at right dominate the lower field, their figures boasting exuberant costumes. The arrangement of the scenes in this tapestry gives preference to the most important episodes in Mary’s life rather than following a strict chronology. The tapestry’s relatively small size suggests that it was designed to hang alone behind an altar.

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