Plaque with Christ in Majesty and the Four Evangelists

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The evangelists write their Gospels here with the aid of their characteristic symbols. An ox literally open’s Luke’s eyes to receive divine inspiration, while Mark’s lion seems to be speaking to the author. This plaque, which probably was affixed to the cover of an Ottonian Gospel book, now decorates the cover of a late fifteenth-century Gospel lectionary.

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