Large Dish

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A rare showpiece of early Florentine maiolica, this large cotino, or basin, depicts a mounted cavalier—a favorite motif on chests, tapestries, and other decorative arts of the time. Smaller cotini were used as serving plates, but the size and accomplished decoration of this work suggest that it was intended for display rather than a utilitarian purpose.

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