Column Statue of an Apostle

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Column statues showing apostles began to appear in France and northern Italy from the mid-twelfth century onward. Too large to have come from a cloister—like the sculpture opposite from Saint-Denis—this column may have supported a pulpit or tomb. The Romanizing philosopher type with scroll suggests the figure represents Saint Paul.

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