Beaker

Hans Greiff

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Miniature golden ibexes serve as the feet of the goblet fashioned from ibex horn. The goldsmith cleverly placed the characteristic ridges of the horn so that they provided natural hand grips for the drinker. Did this allow the owner to imbibe to excess without losing hold of the beaker? Underlying this artistic nod to Europe’s prized mountain goat is the medieval belief that ibex horn—like the horn of the unicorn—possessed magical and medicinal properties, including the ability to detect poison. As a result, the alpine ibex was hunted to near extinction, much like the rhinoceros today.

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