Folding Shrine with the Virgin and Child

Folding Shrine with the Virgin and Child

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries saw an increased demand for small portable devotional shrines or tabernacles made of ivory or metal, typically with a courtly, elegant, yet tender Virgin standing in the center. The wings, carved in a rougher style, are rich in anecdotal charm. On the left are the Annunciation to the Virgin, her Visitation with Elizabeth, and the Three Magi. On the right are the Nativity and the Presentation in the Temple.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Folding Shrine with the Virgin and ChildFolding Shrine with the Virgin and ChildFolding Shrine with the Virgin and ChildFolding Shrine with the Virgin and ChildFolding Shrine with the Virgin and Child

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.