Purse with scenes from the story of Patient Griselda

Purse with scenes from the story of Patient Griselda

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This embroidered scene depicts the popular medieval tale of Griselda, a poor maiden who was tested long and cruelly by her noble husband and thus exemplifies ideal Christian patience. The story appeared in various forms, the best known of which is "The Clerk’s Tale" in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The needlework may have been made professionally, or by its owner, inasmuch as needlework was considered an essential part of a woman’s education.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Purse with scenes from the story of Patient GriseldaPurse with scenes from the story of Patient GriseldaPurse with scenes from the story of Patient GriseldaPurse with scenes from the story of Patient GriseldaPurse with scenes from the story of Patient Griselda

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.