Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Material has a direct impact on form, especially in the case of ivory sculpture. Here the graceful curve of the Virgin’s body reflects the shape of the elephant tusk from which the statue was carved. The monumental quality of this ivory closely corresponds to stone sculpture on Gothic cathedrals.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Virgin and ChildVirgin and ChildVirgin and ChildVirgin and ChildVirgin and Child

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.