Box with the Parable Prodigal Son and Scenes of Lovers

Box with the Parable Prodigal Son and Scenes of Lovers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The biblical parable of high living, disgrace, and paternal reconciliation (Luke 15:11–32) was an appropriate subject for this casket, intended to hold valuables. The missing scene of the Return of the Son was probably intended for the lid; instead, the replacement lid illustrates the stages of love.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Box with the Parable Prodigal Son and Scenes of LoversBox with the Parable Prodigal Son and Scenes of LoversBox with the Parable Prodigal Son and Scenes of LoversBox with the Parable Prodigal Son and Scenes of LoversBox with the Parable Prodigal Son and Scenes of Lovers

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.