The Apostles Creed

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Each of the fifteen compartments in this tapestry contains a single scene representing an article of the Apostles’ Creed, a set of declarations of Christian belief dating back to the fourth century. One of few surviving tapestries to depict this subject, this piece is unique for its inclusion of every article in a single hanging, without any accompanying inscriptions. The straightforward, even provincial design of the compositions makes them easily legible, unfolding like a comic strip from top to bottom. The series opens with God creating heaven and earth and ends with an image of everlasting life. Within the context of the church, such tapestries offered visual lessons that would have been used in religious instruction.

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