Manuscript Illumination with Saint Stephen in an Initial S, from an Antiphonary

Manuscript Illumination with Saint Stephen in an Initial S, from an Antiphonary

Master of the Brussels Initials

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Shown holding a palm and a large book, this handsome figure wears a beautiful orange and gold dalmatic, a liturgical garment with wide sleeves worn by deacons of the church. The trickles of blood at his scalp and the three stones curiously resting on his head identify him as Saint Stephen, who was stoned at the hands of an angry mob. The first Christian martyr, his death is described in the Acts of the Apostles.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Illumination with Saint Stephen in an Initial S, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Saint Stephen in an Initial S, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Saint Stephen in an Initial S, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Saint Stephen in an Initial S, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Saint Stephen in an Initial S, from an Antiphonary

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.