Fragment of a Sarcophagus with a Seated Figure

Fragment of a Sarcophagus with a Seated Figure

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Images of seated figures holding open scrolls, as here, were understood throughout the Late Roman world to be philosophers, or learned men. Originally part of a large sarcophagus with five niches separated by columns, this figure represented interest in an intellectual life and its usefulness in achieving a happy future life. The philosopher pose was adopted from the 300s onward for images of intellectual leaders of the Christian church, including Christ, his apostles, and the Four Evangelists.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fragment of a Sarcophagus with a Seated FigureFragment of a Sarcophagus with a Seated FigureFragment of a Sarcophagus with a Seated FigureFragment of a Sarcophagus with a Seated FigureFragment of a Sarcophagus with a Seated Figure

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.