Leaf from a Diptych

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This ivory panel has been carved into three groups of carvings held within architectural niches: Jesus’s death on the cross and resurrection, the weighing of souls, and visual metaphors for Christian mystical experiences such as The Man of Sorrows and The Throne of Mercy. Together with its mate (17.190.266), it forms half of a diptych that could be used as a meditative aid during prayer. Carved through, it was likely glued to a painted parchment backing and set within a frame when first made.

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