Two silver plaques showing Saint Peter and Saint Paul, late 6th century.
Posted on 03/06/2020 5:45:15 PM PST by marshmallow
Two silver plaques showing Saint Peter and Saint Paul, late 6th century.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with my daughter. It had been about 25 years since I had last visited, and I didn't remember very much about it. One thing that I definitely did not recall from two-and-a-half decades ago was the small but outstanding late Roman / Byzantine collection.
For once, I was able to take some fairly high-quality photos, so I figured I would share a few highlights.
To begin with, the two silver plaques shown above caught my eye immediately. They feature images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul and were identified as having been made in the late 6th century AD. Above the images of the saints may be seen peacocks which were popular Christian motifs symbolizing immortality. Another silver plaque may be seen below:
Silver plaque depicting two saints holding a cross, 6th century
Here we see two saints, possibly the evangelists Saint John and Saint Matthew, depicted in silver with a large cross between them. The placard below speculated that the plaque may have formed the cover of a religious book.
Perhaps my favorite piece in the collection was this large gold and silver processional cross:
Middle Byzantine processional cross, front.
(Excerpt) Read more at gloriaromanorum.blogspot.com ...
Well preserved!
*ping*
I was at the exhibit from St Catherine’s 16 years ago. Spectacular.
I live near St. Paul.
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