Book Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The earliest known textual reference to the famous enamels produced in the city of Limoges during the twelfth through the fourteenth century concerns a book cover seen in the Abbey of Saint Victor in Paris in the 1160s and intended for an English abbot. Plaques showing Christ in Majesty surrounded by symbols of the evangelists, usually paired with a plaque showing the Crucifixion, were produced in large numbers by Limoges enamelers. The textures and patterns created through the engraving and stippling of the five appliqué figures make this a particularly noteworthy example.

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