Miniature Altarpiece with the Crucifixion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mary, Jesus’ mother, her head covered with a veil and her back to us, is almost lost in the crowd at center. Saint John gently places his hand at her back, protecting her from the clamor of men and horses. Close to the Cross, the Roman centurion Longinus touches his eye, which, according to the Golden Legend, was miraculously cured by blood and water that dripped from Jesus’ side. The left wing shows Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, understood by Christians to presage the Crucifixion; at right, the healing power of the Crucifixion is compared to God’s favor toward the Israelites. With Moses they gather beneath a great bronze serpent that has been set atop a pole at God’s command, with the promise that a mere glance at the serpent would cure poisonous snake bites. In the roundel below is Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. In the left wing, Samson carries away the doors of the city of Gaza, a remarkable display of power clearly being likened to Jesus bursting out of his tomb. At right, Jonah emerges from the belly of a whale after three days, a miracle that resonates with the Resurrection.

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