
Fragment of a Figure
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
This hand-molded object was found in Christian homes, but works like this continue a long history of Egyptian fertility figures. Decorated wall niches, thought to be domestic shrines, were found in the houses of the site. This figurine might have been used in one as a votive offering. For unknown reasons, it appears to have been deliberately destroyed.
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.