Saint Barbara

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This well-preserved figure of Saint Barbara came from the central shrine of the high altarpiece of the church of Saint Mauritius on the east side of the Rhine River, south of Strasbourg. The central shrine was dismantled prior to the early seventeenth century, and the sculptures were consigned to the charnel house in Kippenheim. The now-dispersed figures and the painted wings have survived, allowing for the reconstruction of the altarpiece. Dedicated to the Virgin, the central and larger group of the Virgin and Child occupied a niche of extended height and was flanked by Saints Mauritius and Catherine on the left and Saints Barbara and Gregory the Great on the right. The outer wings represented the Annunciation and the Visitation, and the inner wings showed the Nativity and the Adoration of the Shepherds. This sculpture retains much of its original paint and appliqué decoration; the red dress is enhanced with molded and gilt-wax brocade patterning, and the fine decoration on the mantle was achieved by etching through a transparent indigo layer over silver.

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