Reliquary Casket with the Deesis, Archangels, and the Twelve Apostles

Reliquary Casket with the Deesis, Archangels, and the Twelve Apostles

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the lid of the casket is a Deesis composition showing Christ enthroned in majesty, flanked by the Virgin, John the Forerunner (the Baptist), and archangels. Roundels containing portraits of saints, identified by carefully carved Greek inscriptions, decorate the sides of the casket.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Reliquary Casket with the Deesis, Archangels, and the Twelve ApostlesReliquary Casket with the Deesis, Archangels, and the Twelve ApostlesReliquary Casket with the Deesis, Archangels, and the Twelve ApostlesReliquary Casket with the Deesis, Archangels, and the Twelve ApostlesReliquary Casket with the Deesis, Archangels, and the Twelve Apostles

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.