The Fieschi Morgan Staurotheke

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Elaborately worked in cloisonné enamel, the lid of this box displays Christ on the cross wearing the colobium (sleeveless or short-sleeve tunic) associated with early images of the Crucifixion. Christ stands erect, his eyes wide open. His posture, the sun and the moon on either side of his head, and the flowers growing at the base of the cross express Christ’s triumph over death. Beside him the Virgin and John the Theologian raise their hands to their faces in a gesture of mourning. Twenty-seven busts of saints appear on the lid and sides of the box. Worked in niello on the undersurface of the lid are four scenes from the life of Christ—the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Anastasis (Descent into Hell). The interior of the box houses a cross-shaped container for the relic, with the remaining spaces possibly meant to contain other relics associated with the Holy Land. The patterns on the base resemble a book cover, perhaps a reference to the Gospels, which contain the story of the Crucifixion. The box is a testament to the sacrifice of Christ and the promise of salvation through his death.

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