Plaque with the Trinity and the Dormition of the Virgin

Plaque with the Trinity and the Dormition of the Virgin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the lower register, Christ holds the soul of his mother and blesses her body as the surrounding Apostles mourn. In the upper register, Christ appears as the crucified Son, with God the Father enthroned and the Holy Ghost as a dove. The plaque may have been worn as personal adornment: similar "micro-carvings" survive in jeweled frames suspended on chains. References to "locket reliquaries" suggest that they may also have contained tiny relics. Alternatively, the carving may have been affixed to a larger reliquary or monstrance.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plaque with the Trinity and the Dormition of the VirginPlaque with the Trinity and the Dormition of the VirginPlaque with the Trinity and the Dormition of the VirginPlaque with the Trinity and the Dormition of the VirginPlaque with the Trinity and the Dormition of the Virgin

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.