Chasse with The Crucifixion and Christ in Majesty

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The shape of this chasse, or container for the relics of a saint, is one of the most commonly produced during the Middle Ages, and the scenes of the Crucifixion, Christ in Majesty, and Apostles are so standard that it is impossible to say what relics it originally housed. The reliquary is remarkable for the richness of its palette (especially in the multicolored columns), the use of enamel to define the hands and feet of the figures, and the sophisticated engraving and stippling of the copper ground.

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