Temple Pendant and Stick

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the surface of this exquisitely worked pendant are intricate patterns of florets, palmettes, and variegated borders, and a medallion with the head of a young, beardless man on the front. Crosses embellish the accompanying stick. Temple pendants are thought to have hung near the temple or cheek, suspended from the wearer’s hair or headdress. The pendant’s hollow interior probably held a piece of perfumed cloth; the small stick would have been used to guide the cloth in and out of the pendant.

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