Manuscript Illumination with Joseph Sold by His Brothers in an Initial V, from an Antiphonary

Manuscript Illumination with Joseph Sold by His Brothers in an Initial V, from an Antiphonary

Giovanni Pietro da Cemmo

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

During Lent, the season of forty days of penitence and fasting that precedes Easter, medieval Christians consciously identified with the plight of the ancient Hebrews who wandered in the desert for forty years. Chants and images inspired by Hebrew scripture, such as this example showing Joseph being sold by his jealous brothers, often appear in choir books intended for this time of year.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Illumination with Joseph Sold by His Brothers in an Initial V, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Joseph Sold by His Brothers in an Initial V, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Joseph Sold by His Brothers in an Initial V, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Joseph Sold by His Brothers in an Initial V, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Joseph Sold by His Brothers in an Initial V, from an Antiphonary

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.