Neck Ring (Torque)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The design of this torque is deceptive. It appears to be wrapped with a wide, flat wire that changes direction six times. In fact, the complex pattern has been cut into the metal. Although it is not known where this object was found, torques such as this have been discovered in peat bogs where it is thought that they were cast as offerings to a god or goddess or as symbols of thanksgiving.

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