The Met Cloisters
+1 212-923-3700

Shaped like a miniature chapel, this incredibly rare reliquary shrine is one of the jewels of #TheMetCloisters. On October 30, 1940, eighty years ago this week, the Nazi regime began the systematic plunder of thousands of artworks from Jewish families in France. Hermann Göring, a leading Nazi official during World War II, stole this reliquary from the Paris residence of Edmond de Rothschild for his private collection filled with artworks he unlawfully seized. Thankfully, mon...uments men, dispatched by the U.S. and British governments for the first time in the history of warfare to restitute works of art to their rightful owners, located the shrine at the war’s end and returned it to Edmond de Rothschild’s heirs on June 3, 1948. Come see it in the @metmuseum 150th anniversary exhibition, Making The Met, through January 3, 2021 alongside other works in the Museum’s collection associated with World War II. Attributed to Jean de Touyl (French, died 1349/50). Reliquary Shrine, ca. 132550. Gilded silver, translucent enamel, paint. 62.96. #MetAnywhere #MakingTheMet #Met150 #MedievalArt #WWII [image descriptions: Slides 1 and 2 are studio photographs of the reliquary front and back, respectively. It sits against a soft gray backdrop with the wings open to show the interior of the chapel. The Virgin and Child are accompanied by angels in the central "building" with gilded arches, vaults, and other architectural elements. The wings are of translucent enamel, depicting Mary's life and the Infancy of Christ and evoking stained glass. Slides 3 and 4 show the reliquary, along with other objects, installed in Making The Met.]

Tune in Saturday, October 24th at 10 am Eastern to learn about behind-the-scenes activities that close out our growing season and pave the way for next year's bounty and display. Horticultural staff will walk us through the importance of the harvest season, bulb planting and propagation for spring, and the time-intensive holiday decorations they create and display in our galleries at the close of the calendar year. Above: Delicious and bountiful during the fall harvest, grape...s like the ones grown in our courtyard were transformed into wine, an important beverage in the Middle Ages which was regularly consumed and enjoyed. Check our link in bio to visit the event page for more information and direct links to YouTube and Facebook. #Horticulture #MedievalGardening #Harvest #Holidays [image description: A photo of the concord grapes growing at The Met Cloisters. These pale green grapes hang in full bunches from twisting vines with broad, dark green leaves, against the stone of the Museum facade.]

#TheMetCloisters is proud to announce the completion of a book on The Conservation of Medieval Polychrome Wood Sculpture. With this publication, Met conservator Lucretia Kargère and professor Michele Marincola from the @nyuifa Conservation Center (and former @metobjectsconservation staff member) fill a gap in the conservation literature, which has no comprehensive English-language reference. A real challenge in creating this publication was distilling an enormous body of lite...rature, mostly in four languages, on the materials and methods of medieval polychrome wood sculptures, and their treatment. The authors conducted research and interviews with conservators in America and Europe and incorporated their own experience at The Met Cloisters in examining and conserving polychrome wood sculpture. Rather than being a recipe book, the volume provides access to the decision-making processes, the history of care, the scientific rational, and the types of materials and treatments that might be appropriate today. Many images from The Cloisters Collection are included, and four case studies illustrate key moments in a sculpture’s treatment history reconsidered in the light of current practices. Those interested may find the book at the Getty store website. #Polychrome #WoodSculpture #ObjectConservation Tilman Riemenschneider (German, 14601531). Seated Bishop, ca. 1495. Limewood and gray-black stain. 1970.137.1. Enthroned Virgin and Child, France, ca. 11301140. Birch with paint and glass. 47.101.15. [image descriptions: Slide 1, the cover of The Conservation of Medieval Polychrome Wood featuring The Visitation from the Medieval Department collection at The Met, a painted and gilded wood sculpture of Mary and Elizabeth that was highlighted in a collections post just last week. Slide 2, the Seated Bishop from The Cloisters Collection during treatment circa 1970, halfway through the removal of a more modern coat of paint. Slides 3 and 4, detail of Mary's face from The Enthroned Virgin and Child, another piece from The Cloisters Collection, before and after treatment respectively. Treatment included compensation of crack and remodeling of proper left eye.]

The top of this block of limestone was transformed into a four-sided capital in southern Italy by a skilled stone carver working in the first part of the 13th century. Its sides evoke an era in which different cultures mingled together in trade, travel, and conflict. In 863 a monk named Theodosius wrote of the grandeur of Palermo, describing it as full of citizens and strangers. . . . Blended with the Sicilians the Greeks, the Lombards and the Jews, there are Arabs, Berbers,... Persians, Tartars, Africans, some wrapped in long robes and turbans . . . faces oval, square, or round, of every complexion and profile, beards and hair of every variety of color and cut. The four heads emerging from acanthus leaves to form the corners of this capital attest to Theodosius’ comments. The heads are close in style to other examples by Apulian sculptors working for the court of Frederick II Hohenstaufen. #MetAnywhere #TheMetCloisters #MedievalSculpture #GlobalMiddleAges Capital with Four Heads, Italy, ca. 1225-50. Limestone. 55.66. [image descriptions: Five photos show the capital, the top portion of a column, at various angles. We start with the top of the limestone capital, bare except for a groove that sections off one quarter of the square plane. The subsequent photos of the the four subjects carved into the corners of this capital show a diversity of features, ages, and dress.]

The meeting of two women, their torsos fitted with rock-crystal cabochons, is the central subject of a profoundly moving devotional statue. The sculpture was originally made for a community of women at the Convent of Saint Katharinenthal, Lake Constance. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and cousin to Mary, meets Mary, mother of Jesus, and they share the news of their pregnancy. Mary tenderly places her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder, while Elizabeth, touching her chest..., exclaims, Who am I, that the mother of the Lord should visit me? (Luke 1:43). The text of Elizabeth’s statement adorns the hem that unfurls over her left shoulder. #MetAnywhere #visitation #women #cousins #MedievalArt #MedievalSculpture #polychrome #wood #meeting #pregnancy Attributed to Master Heinrich of Constance (German, active in Constance, ca. 1300), ca. 131020. The Visitation. Walnut, paint, gilding, rock-crystal cabochons inset in gilt-silver mounts. 17.190.724. [image descriptions: Two figures, carved from wood, stand at a little over 23 inches high. They are dressed in flowing, gilded robes, their hair covered by draping, ivory scarves, all with painted and gilded geometric patterns at the hems. Large, rock-crystal cabochons (polished and rounded gems with a flat back, as opposed to faceted gems) adorn each of their torsos. Mary and Elizabeth look at each other with kindly expressions and smiling eyes. Their faces are painted in soft pinks. Slides 1 and 2 show the full-length of the figures from front and back, slides 3 and 4 are close-ups of the women's faces, and slide 5 is a detail of the hem of Elizabeth's garment draped across her chest and shoulder with the text of her exclamation.]

Many of you know us for our gardens and hopefully you’ve heard about one of our newer acquisitions, the Book of Flower Studies (swipe to see one of the paintings in the book). One of our younger visitors was inspired by both and we were lucky enough to see his #MetSketch! Max even shared his insight, There was a book at The Cloisters that inspired me - each page had flowers and insects and it was beautiful. We agree, it’s a beautiful book and we enjoy flowers and insects to...o (though we ask that the insects stay in the gardens ). Now that the Museum has reopened, we hope you are able to join us before the season is over. Come enjoy our three gardens and the Book of Flower Studies, on view in the Unicorn Tapestries Gallery. Plan your visit at our link in bio and remember to tag us if you create your own #MetSketch! #TheMetCloisters #MedievalGardens #Flowers #NatureStudies Master of Claude de France, French. Book of Flower Studies, ca. 1510-1515. Opaque watercolor, organic glazes, gold and silver paint, iron and carbon-based ink and charcoal on parchment. 2019.197. [image descriptions: Slide 1 is a photograph of a page from a wide-rule notebook with writing in pencil at the top and a vibrant colored pencil drawing of red flowers and insects on the lower half. The writing reads, List of [flowers] 1. mums 2. garlick 3. apple tree, and 2020 incect gardin, max Sept 18. Slide 2 is a folio from the Book of Flower Studies. A watercolor painting of a red corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) with a brown fly sitting on the blue-green leaves of the plant fills the parchment page.]

I ring for breakfast, dinner, and drinks. The inscription on this unassuming bronze bell proclaims its purpose: assembling the community of a monastery for meals and refreshments. Smaller than the taller and more familiar church bell, this rare refectory bell evokes the sounds of life in the medieval cloister. If you flip the bell over (swipe through), you’ll note the absence of a clapper. It makes a beautiful, almost cheerful tone when struck with a mallet, ringing clearly... and loudly before fading away. May it bring you together for whatever meals and drinks you might be planning, and may it strike a tone for essential workers. We’ve rung it before and will have the chance to ring it again, now that the Museum has reopened! Refectory Bell, 13th century, German. Copper alloy. 2014.87. #MetAnywhere #TheMetCloisters #drinks #dinnertime #monastery #FridayNight #MakeSomeNoise [image descriptions: An aged, copper bell with a shallow bowl is decorated with four roundels and ringed in a Latin inscription. The roundels are worn, sitting near the crown of the bell, and depict two angels, a winged lion, and the Lamb of God. The final photograph shows the interior of the bell, which is smooth and has no clapper.]

Happy #reopening day! The #MetCloisters is now open to the public and we are excited to welcome everyone back to our galleries and gardens! Swipe through for photos from our members days Thursday and Friday this week for a look at how we are following safety guidelines and protecting our staff and visitors. All are required to wear masks while in the galleries and gardens, follow a predetermined route through galleries to maintain social distancing, and reserve timed entry sl...ots to keep the Museum at 25% capacity or below. Visit our link in bio for more information on these guidelines and to reserve your timed tickets. Thank you to our community for your support and excitement. We look forward to seeing you again soon! #WelcomeBack Photos 1-5 by Paula Lobo. [image descriptions: Various views of our galleries and gardens, with visitors and staff wearing masks as they join us for The Met Cloisters' members reopening. In order we have: Visitor Experience staff welcoming members at the Admissions desk in the Main Hall with newly installed plexi barriers. Two members pose for a photo on the stairs into the Museum. A view of the Judy Black Garden in Cuxa Cloister with a sign calling for social distancing visible in the foreground. Another view of the Judy Black Garden with two members enjoying the vibrant flowers and greenery as they stand near the central fountain. A visitor stands in the Unicorn Tapestries Gallery, between The Unicorn in Captivity and The Unicorn Purifies Water near our narwhal tusk. Visitors enjoy various art objects in our Glass Gallery while one of our guards keeps his post nearby. A parent and two children stand silhouetted in Langon Chapel as they point and examine the architecture of the gallery.]

The Met Cloisters’ doors are opening again! Get ready to cross the threshold into the Middle Ages on September 12. Did you know that most of the doorways connecting Cloisters galleries were made during the Middle Ages? That’s right you can pass through stone portals carved hundreds of years ago! When the museum was built in the 1930s, many fragments of medieval architecture were incorporated into the modern building fabric. Your visit to The Met Cloisters follows a chron...ological path traversing each of these portals through time. But don’t just walk through them! Be sure to take a close look at their many finely carved details and intricate metalwork fittings. Visit our link in bio for more information on our new open hours and days, safety guidelines, and how to reserve a time for your visit. As always, the health and safety of our visitors remains our top priority. See you soon! Doorway from the Abbey of Notre-Dame at Nevers, France, 13th century. Limestone. 54.164.87. Doorway from Saint-Sulpice at Coulangé, France, mid-12th century. Limestone. 25.120.878. Doorway from Notre-Dame at Reugny, Loire Valley, France, late 12th century. Limestone. 34.120.1.120. Arch with Beasts, from Languedoc-Rousillon, France, ca. 1150-75. Marble. 22.58.1a. Pair of Doors with Ironwork, made in France or Spain, 12th century. Oak and iron. 25.120.291, .292. Doorway from Moutiers-Saint-Jean, Burgundy, France, ca. 1250. White oolitic limestone with traces of paint. 32.147. Doorway, from Gascony, France, 15th-16th century. Limestone. 35.35.14. Doorway, from Poitou, France, ca. 1520-30. Limestone. 40.147.3. Unicorn Doorway, from Auvergne, France, early 16th century. Volcanic stone. 48.28. [Image description: Nine photographs of carved stone doorways with different decorative details, including flowers, animals, and figures.] #TheMetCloisters #MedievalArt #romanesque #gothic #portals #MedievalSculpture

Congratulations to The Met Fifth Avenue on reopening over the weekend! And thank you to the visitors and members who made it a success! In celebration of the Museum’s 150th anniversary, the newly opened exhibition "Making The Met, 18702020" gathers a selection of 250 masterpieces from all 17 curatorial departments, including the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, focusing on transformative moments in The Met’s evolution from its origins to today. Several Met... Cloisters objects are featured in the show, from treasured favorites to recent acquisitions like the Hebrew Bible, pictured above during installation. If the permanent collection galleries are more your thing, come see the installation Crossroads: Power and Piety in the Medieval Sculpture Hall, where you’ll find the nearly life-sized sculpture of an African Magus from The Met Cloisters paired with a monumental Dogon figure from present-day Mali. The two works might have been carved around the same time period, and both served as focal points of communal rituals. We’d like to express our appreciation to colleagues, especially Hannah, Josh, and Andrew, who helped to prepare the galleries for this momentous occasion, and Christine and Barbara, who wrote for the "Making The Met" catalogue. The health and safety of our visitors continue to be our top priorities. The Met is following guidelines issued by New York State, New York City, and the CDC. Tap the link in our bio to learn more about Making The Met, Crossroads, and The Met's health and safety guidelines. #Met150 #TheMetCloisters [image descriptions: 1. The Hebrew Bible from The Cloisters Collection, decorated in tempera and gold, sits open next to a pair of silver Torah finials (rimonim) during installation of the Making The Met exhibition. 2. Met staff consult each other during installation, standing before two carved alabaster Mourners with other objects from The Met's collection visible. 3. A studio photo of a Triptych with Scenes from the Passion of Christ in gilded silver, mother-of-pearl, bone and cold enamel. 4. A photograph of two carved figures in the Crossroads exhibtion featured in detail in our June 18 post.]

Did you catch @metdrawingsandprints ‘ recent blog post on puzzles, playing cards, and board games? How have you been spending your free time while sheltering at home? Horsing around or working day and knight? The most popular board game of the Middle Ages was #chess. Adapted from the 7th-century Indian game Chaturanga, ornate chess pieces of luxury materials such as ivory, crystal, jasper, and jet could be found in virtually all medieval societies. From Scandinavia to Eg...ypt, from Syria to Spain, the game of chess reflected real-world warfare. While western European versions of the game replaced elephants for bishops and viziers for queens, the rider on horseback consistently defended his king on chessboards around the globe. This 13th-century knight from London wears a bulky helmet with impossibly small slits through which to see his enemy, here a great dragon. His surcoat flies back as his horse rears and tramples the beast. In contrast, a 16th-century knight is stoic, stocky, and still. The armor of the ivory is carved in such detail that, although measuring less than 5 cm tall, it can be identified with actual European armor worn between 1510 and 1530. Contrarily, this minimally carved piece from a western Islamic region merely suggests the abstract form of a horse, evocative of a solemn rider ready for battle. These three pieces, along with @metdrawingsandprints’ ‘Book of Chess,’ can be viewed together in our Glass Gallery. ‘Check’ them out in person when The Cloisters opens again on Saturday, September 12. #MuseumFromHome #MetAnywhere @metarmsandarmor @metislamicart Knight Chess Piece, ca. 1250, probably London, England. Walrus ivory. 17.190.231. Chess Piece in the Form of a Knight, ca. 1510-30, possibly Germany or England. Elephant ivory. 68.183. Chess Piece, Knight, 8th 10th century, attributed to Western Islamic Lands. Jet. 1974.27.2. Jacobus de Cessolis (Italian, active 1288-1322), ‘The Book of Chess,’ Strasbourg, 1483. Woodcuts with letterpress, watercolor. 2018.80. [image descriptions: slides 1-3 are knight chess pieces of differing style and material. The final slide, a woodcut of a knight on horseback.] @ The Met Cloisters See more

Save the date! The Met Cloisters reopens Saturday, September 12th. We will be open five days a week, Thursday through Monday, from 10 am to 5 pm. Your safety remains our top priority--please check the link in bio to familiarize yourself with our new visitor guidelines as well as information on reserving your timed tickets! Additional information will be added as the opening date approaches. We look forward to welcoming you back to the gardens and galleries in September. #TheMetCloisters #NYCMuseums [image description: Visitors stand in the doorway to the Froville Arcade at the top of The Met Cloisters driveway. The surrounding trees and ivy are green except for a few yellow leaves, and the weather seems warm and sunny. Two more visitors can be seen in the foreground walking down the drive to the front of the Museum.]

Some artworks are so mesmerizing that they make us appreciate anew medieval artists’ skills. Displaying dynamic scenes where figures fly down, look up, stand erect, and sit enthroned, this artwork expresses a whirlwind of movement. This piece formed the shaft of a crozier, a staff-like object used to symbolize a bishop’s duty to shepherd their flock of Christian faithful. The ivory’s surface is tightly packed with figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, and clergy. Impres...sively carved, the artist of this ivory was a true virtuoso to attain such energetic detail in a piece measuring less than 12 inches tall. But is this a finished artwork? The uncarved bands in the middle of the staff have led some scholars to suggest that, for reasons unknown, the carving was never completed. Segment of a Crozier Shaft, North Spanish, late 12th century. Elephant ivory. 1981.1. #TheMetCloisters #MetAnywhere #MuseumFromHome #ivory #crozier [image descriptions: Various views of a segment of elephant tusk carved with religious scenes and figures. The final four images are close views of four of these figures.] @ The Met Cloisters See more

Headed into the weekend, you might be thinking about raising a glass with friends for family, wine in hand. In the Middle Ages, ceramic vessels for the table could be wonderfully whimsical. This thin-walled, barrel-shaped jug features a high-stepping fox and a jaunty cockerel (swipe through for the other side). Look at how the potter inscribed the animals’ silhouettes into the wet clay before adding the red glaze. The large, looped and upright tail adds a light, comedic touch... to the fox. The Saintonge region of southwestern France enjoyed a long history of pottery making, and large numbers of these jugs were exported to London as part of a flourishing wine trade. One of medieval literature’s most endearing and enduring tricksters, Reynard the Fox repeatedly outwits his fellow creatures and humans. Imagine how jugs like this kept people talking and sharing stories at the table. Jug with a Fox and a Rooster, French, late 13th Century. Glazed earthenware. 2015.141. #TheMetCloisters #FridayNight #RaiseAGlass #Met150 #MetAnywhere #ceramics #CeramicArt #TableArt #WineTime [image descriptions: Two views of an earthenware jug with stylized animals in red glaze; a fox on one side and a cockerel on the other.] See more

Many artworks that end up museums represent wealthy, powerful, or famous people. This sculpted doorway from the northern Spanish town of Frías introduces us to a wider cast of characters. Originally framing the entrance of a parish church dedicated to Saint Vincent, the doorway displays a row of heads along its edge. Who are these people? Well, one is wearing a crown, indicating he is a king. Yet the others are not so easily categorized. There are women wearing the tightly... pleated headdresses with chin straps that were so popular in medieval Spain, and men with beards and long hair. There are smooth faces and lined faces. The identities of these heads are lost to us. It is very possible that they were never meant to represent specific individuals. They may represent the people who passed through the church’s entrance over the course of its history men, women, young, old and yes, perhaps even the occasional visiting king. Even if they do so indirectly, works like this provide a glimpse of the many medieval people who never made it into the written historical record, but who certainly existed. A collapse of the church tower severely damaged the portal in 1872. As a result, seeing and understanding the sculptures is challenging, but a reward lies in confronting people all but forgotten. Reconstructed Portal from the Church of Saint Vincent, Frias, Spain, early 13th century. Limestone. 23.110.1-110. #MetAnywhere #limestone #doorways #MedievalPeople #TheMetCloisters [image description: three rows of faces, carved from limestone, decorate the outer frame of an arched doorway. The photos are taken from various angles and distances.] @ The Met Cloisters See more

Tune in tomorrow morning, Saturday, August 1, at 10am on @metmuseum’s YouTube channel for an in-depth look into one of The Met Cloisters’ most beloved artworks, The Unicorn Purifies Water from the Hunt for the Unicorn tapestry series. Learn about the medieval legend of the unicorn, its miraculous ability to purify water, and how medieval artists closely observed nature to produce both large-scale works and smaller, intimate objects. In light of our new reality brought on by t...he coronavirus pandemic, are we in tune with our natural surroundings? Explore healing, nature, magic, and belief in this new episode of The Met’s Insider Insight series. Explore the link in our bio for ways to watch. #MetAnywhere #TheMetCloisters [image description: A close up of a portion of a tapestry shows various wild animals gathering around a unicorn. The unicorn kneels before a stream, touching it’s horn to the water. A white fountain can be seen behind the unicorn and flowers bloom all around.] See more

The Madness of Love by Hadewijch (early 13th century): The madness of love Is a blessed fate; And if we understood this We would seek no other: ... It brings into unity What was divided, And this is the truth: Bitterness it makes sweet, It makes the stranger a neighbor, And what was lowly it raises on high. (English version by Oliver Davies. Original Language Dutch) Hadewijch, sometimes known as Hadewijch of Brabant or Hadewijch of Antwerp, was probably the head of a Beguine community. The Beguines were a sect of devout women in Belgium, Holland, Germany and northern France. They did not take vows, but elected to live communally in simplicity and service. A community of Beguines commissioned this marble statue of the Virgin and Child for the high altar of their Church of Saint Catherine at Diest. Imported Italian marble provided the raw material for the most expensive monumental sculptures in the region. The virtuouso carving has a courtly grace that resonates with Hadewijch’s poetry, which infused troubadour forms with Christian spirituality. Have a closer look in the following images. Mary looks out into space, while Jesus caresses her cheek. Is he wiping away her tears? The Beguines often worked in cities, where they assisted bereaved families with funerary rites and cared for the poor and sick. Carved three years before the Plague ravaged the region, this sculpture stood on the altar during the epidemic, offering strength, courage, and compassion to a community directly engaged with administering to those stricken with disease. Today, it stands in the Medieval Sculpture Hall at the Met, where it is one of several works on view on Crossroads: Power and Piety (see link in bio). Virgin and Child, South Netherlandish, 1345. Marble with traces of gilding. 24.215. Second image credit: Sint-Catharinakerk, Diest, Wikimedia Commons Image, author: EmDee. #MedievalArt #women #poetry #ArtHistory #spirituality #MetAnywhere [image descriptions: A sculpture of white marble depicts the virgin and child in a quiet moment together. Mary stands in flowing robes, her head leaning left as she holds her child in her left arm.] @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York See more

Notwithstanding the vibrant color in this painting, this appears to be a very sober occasion. It is the consecration of a bishop of the church. What could this painting possibly have to say to us? Imagined by a European painter in the fifteenth century, everything appears as it would have in the artist’s own worldthere’s a Gothic church with stained glass, luxurious velvet and a golden altarpiece. But there’s more to it than that. This is Augustine, who became Bishop of Hipp...o in Roman North Africa in the mid fourth century. The wisdom found in his writings is timeless, and often timely. Consider these words, for example: Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are. Master of Saint Augustine (Netherlandish). Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo, ca. 1490. Oil, gold, and silver on wood. 61.199. #SaintAugustine #NetherlandishArt #MetAnywhere #TheMetCloisters #OilPainting [image description: A richly detailed painting on the central panel of a triptych is divided into five scenes from the life of Saint Augustine. In the center, Saint Augustine is consecrated bishop of Hippo Regius, a Roman city in present-day Algeria. Clockwise from the upper right, Saint Augustine converses with a boy, in the lower right Saint Augustine preaches. He is seen preaching again in the lower left while his mother says the rosary, and in the upper left Saint Augustine is ordained as a priest. The following slides are details of each scene in the same order.] @ The Met Cloisters See more