Fragment of a Plaque with a Standing Woman

Fragment of a Plaque with a Standing Woman

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Colored wax originally filled the zones between the areas carved in relief. The relief would then clearly have shown a richly dressed woman holding a tray on which may rest a pair of gold bracelets. The figure may be a serving girl or Chresis, who personified the good use of acquired wealth. Bone plaques were used to decorate couches, chests, and other furniture. Some were carved in relief; others were carved in intaglio with the incised designs often filled with colored wax. Both styles could be used on the same object. The designs frequently represent Dionysiac themes.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fragment of a Plaque with a Standing WomanFragment of a Plaque with a Standing WomanFragment of a Plaque with a Standing WomanFragment of a Plaque with a Standing WomanFragment of a Plaque with a Standing Woman

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.