Bowl with a Horseman Spearing a Serpent

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The city of Málaga in the Islamic kingdom of Granada was one of the earliest centers for the production of lusterware in Spain. The virtuosity of its wares, notable for their dense patterns of shimmering gold, often accented with blue, was renowned. One medieval writer, describing the extraordinary reach of Málagan ceramics, claimed that "all countries clamor for it." The choice of decoration was sometimes indebted to Islamic motifs but could also be drawn from Western imagery, as is the case with this representation of a horseman spearing a serpent, perhaps inspired by the legend of Saint George and the dragon.

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