Plaque with the Nativity

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Related plaques from the same ensemble in this case, depicting other scenes from the life of Jesus, suggest that the group originally decorated a large altar or pulpit. Inscriptions in Latin identify Joseph, husband of Mary, and the words of the angels announcing to the shepherds Jesus' birth.

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