Capital with Bust of the Archangel Michael

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This beautifully carved fragment was once part of the interior architecture of a church, perhaps placed at the top of a tomb niche or altar screen. Archangels were often portrayed, as here, in the ceremonial dress of the Byzantine emperor, the head of Christ's earthly court.

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