Statuette of the Personification of a City

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tyche, the personification of chance or fortune, was also understood as the protector of cities. Linked to civic pride and well-being, she appeared in a range of media, including coins, stone reliefs, glass bottles, and stone and copper-alloy sculptures. Here, Tyche sits on a low throne. Wearing a mural crown, chiton, and peplos, she holds a cornucopia in her left hand. She extends her right hand, which held a now-missing attribute, possibly a staff. It is difficult to identify which city is represented by the statuette, but regardless, the sculpture is representative of the small-scale Tyche images found throughout the late Roman and early Byzantine worlds.

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