Book Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty and the Symbols of the Four Evangelists

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here the symbols of the four evangelists—the eagle (Saint John), the angel (Saint Matthew), the ox (Saint Luke), and the lion (Saint Mark)—hold an open book containing the first words of each Gospel. The beardless, youthful figure of Christ in the center is rare in depictions from this date.

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