Angel from the Lid of an Incense Boat

Angel from the Lid of an Incense Boat

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This image of the angel Gabriel—appearing to the Virgin Mary to announce that she will become the mother of Jesus—once decorated the lid of a boat-shaped vessel used to hold incense. Reversing the standard color scheme of manuscript illumination, the heavenly image of Gabriel is golden, while blue is reserved for highlights and the background.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Angel from the Lid of an Incense BoatAngel from the Lid of an Incense BoatAngel from the Lid of an Incense BoatAngel from the Lid of an Incense BoatAngel from the Lid of an Incense Boat

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.