
Descent from the Cross
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
In the fifteenth century the theme of the Deposition of Christ from the Cross, part of the Easter narrative, was often represented in liturgical dramas on Good Friday. Small reliefs like this one were usually part of a large altarpiece. The original paint is exceptionally well preserved.
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.