Paten

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Patens and chalices were the essential containers for the bread and wine of the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist) in Byzantium. The specially stamped and sanctified large bread for the communion service was contained by the rim of the paten. The exterior of this paten is decorated with a monogram that has yet to be identified.

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