Manuscript Leaf with the Last Judgment, from a Book of Hours

Manuscript Leaf with the Last Judgment, from a Book of Hours

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This miniature from a Book of Hours illustrated a section of special prayers in French known as the "sept requêtes à nostre Seigneur" (seven requests of our Lord). With its tessellated ground of red, blue, and gold, its figures set in a shallow landscape, and the preciousness of its execution, the miniature typifies Parisian manuscript painting of about 1400. Two angels herald the Last Judgment, while Christ, seated on a rainbow, extends his hands toward the dead. People from all walks of life—men, women, a crowned king, and a pope—emerge from their earthly tombs and raise their hands to him in supplication. Imploring Christ on their behalf are the Virgin, one breast bared, and Saint John the Baptist (?), posed at left and right respectively.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Leaf with the Last Judgment, from a Book of HoursManuscript Leaf with the Last Judgment, from a Book of HoursManuscript Leaf with the Last Judgment, from a Book of HoursManuscript Leaf with the Last Judgment, from a Book of HoursManuscript Leaf with the Last Judgment, from a Book of Hours

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.