Head of a Bearded Man

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This finely carved head comes from the lintel of the north transept portal (Porte des Valois) of the abbey church, which depicted the martyrdom of Saint Denis, France's patron saint. Although the portal was carved 1160-70, it was erected in its present location in the thirteenth century. Parts of it were damaged in the wake of the French Revolution. The close stylistic resemblance to the column figure from the cloister (displayed nearby) suggests that both were products of the same workshop.

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