Sarcophagus Lid with Last Judgement

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

One of the earliest translations of biblical verse into image appears on the front of this sarcophagus lid. Christ, bearded and wearing a pallium (mantle), welcomes eight sheep to his right with a warm gaze and gentle pat, and with a raised hand he rejects the five goats to his left. The composition evokes the Gospel parable of Christ during the Last Judgment "separat[ing] people . . . as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25:31–46). The scroll bundle and costume that present Christ as a philosopher imbue him with learned authority. At this time, integrating bucolic and classical philosopher imagery was popular, so the workshop that carved this scene could have arranged similar figures differently for the decoration of non-Christian sarcophagi.

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