Crozier Head with Double Enthroned Christ

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Croziers, the principal emblems of the pastoral role of bishops, abbots, and abbesses, were often richly decorated with subjects appropriate to religious authority. The double depiction of Christ within the volute is unusual for the fourteenth century and may indicate modern, rather than medieval, manufacture. Below are the cardinal virtues: Justice with her scales, Fortitude with the lion, Temperance diluting wine with water, and Prudence with her lamp.

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