Evangelist Saint Mark writing the Gospel with his symbol, the Lion, holding a scroll

Evangelist Saint Mark writing the Gospel with his symbol, the Lion, holding a scroll

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This ivory likely decorated the cover of a Gospel book. The abbreviated Latin inscription refers to the opening lines of Mark’s Gospel: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” The miniature church resembles surviving monuments in Cologne, one of the most important Ottonian artistic centers. A former owner’s stamp is to the right of the desk at which Mark sits.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Evangelist Saint Mark writing the Gospel with his symbol, the Lion, holding a scrollEvangelist Saint Mark writing the Gospel with his symbol, the Lion, holding a scrollEvangelist Saint Mark writing the Gospel with his symbol, the Lion, holding a scrollEvangelist Saint Mark writing the Gospel with his symbol, the Lion, holding a scrollEvangelist Saint Mark writing the Gospel with his symbol, the Lion, holding a scroll

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.