Lampstand

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Early churches emphasized the association of Christ with light (John 8:12) through the use of multiple lamps, often given by the faithful as donations. Surviving mosaics show that tall lampstands with candles were placed near altars. This lampstand, like that in the mosaic displayed here, has a pricket at the top to support a candle. It may also have held an oil lamp similar to those exhibited in the gallery on the opposite side of the Grand Staircase.

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