Enthroned Virgin and Child

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This monumental ivory carving is one of the largest to survive from the later Middle Ages. Weighing nearly eleven pounds, the sculpture retains much of its original paint. The tender depiction of the infant Jesus touching the chin of the Virgin as she plays with his foot is of Byzantine origin.

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