Box with Courting Couples

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romantic love is the principal subject of this casket. The front is bracketed by scenes of young men kneeling before their maidens, a classic image of courtship. Some are rewarded, and others rebuffed. On the far left, amorous advances are rewarded with a wreath. On the right, a young man kneels and extends a ring to his beloved. Personal items like jewelry would have been kept in these kinds containers.

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