Agraffe

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

An agraffe is a clasp used to fasten a cloak or mantel. This exceptional example is in perfect condition. The birds in translucent enamel closely correspond to enamels created about 1300, that are now in the cathedral treasury of Cologne and that inspired the Cologne goldsmith Gabriel Hermeling.

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