Head of a King

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A recently discovered photograph taken about 1906–10 seems to confirm earlier speculation that this head comes from Notre-Dame-dela-Couldre in Parthenay. Following the French Revolution, the church was secularized, sold, and demolished by its new owner. Certain aspects of this sculpture, such as the striated hair and the thick upper lip, are characteristic of Parthenay production. Although its original placement and identification remain unknown, the head may have belonged to a large figure on horseback, set in profile, on the church’s façade.

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