Fragment of a Tapestry or Wall Hanging

Fragment of a Tapestry or Wall Hanging

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tapestry fragment represents a fabulous lionlike beast with pointed teeth, clawed feet, and a scaly rump. Such beasts, derived from those illustrated in classical texts like the Physiologus and medieval bestiaries, represent vices. Here the figures posed with them seem to have tamed their libidinous cravings. Such tapestries were displayed in homes providing decoration as well as insulation.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fragment of a Tapestry or Wall HangingFragment of a Tapestry or Wall HangingFragment of a Tapestry or Wall HangingFragment of a Tapestry or Wall HangingFragment of a Tapestry or Wall Hanging

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.