Cruet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pair of silver vessels closely resembles the handled silver flagons perched on the shelf in the upper right corner of the nearby painting. Such objects were created for use on the table, where they reflected the high status of their owners. This pair was used in church services. Their diminutive scale reflects the small quantity of wine used in the Mass prior to the Reformation. For the liturgy, such objects were always made in pairs (for wine and water). Since these two liquids were combined in the chalice, cruets were often distinguished by the letters V (vinum) and A (aqua) engraved on the lid.

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