Cameo with the Fasting of Saint Nicholas

Cameo with the Fasting of Saint Nicholas

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this rare scene from his infancy, Saint Nicholas refuses his mother’s milk. The image served as an exemplar for fasting and abstinence, especially for monastic communities. The relics of Saint Nicholas resided at Bari, in southern Italy, where the protection of this popular saint had wide appeal. The court of Frederick II Hohenstaufen (r. 1215–50) actively promoted the creation and collection of works, such as these cameos, linking Frederick’s reign with the imperial past.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cameo with the Fasting of Saint NicholasCameo with the Fasting of Saint NicholasCameo with the Fasting of Saint NicholasCameo with the Fasting of Saint NicholasCameo with the Fasting of Saint Nicholas

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.