Bowl with Geometric Rosette

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A compass was used for drawing decorative bands on pottery. The mark of the compass point is visible at the center of this bowl. Designs imitating metalwork patterns often closely resemble those in contemporary Islamic art, providing some indication of trade and export patterns during the middle Byzantine period.

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