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| Aquamanile in the form of a Knight on Horseback, copper alloy, German, Lower Saxony, probably Hildesheim, made about 1250 |
Have you ever woken up one morning and said, “I need to see Medieval art today”? As those who know me can vouch, that happens to me quite often. For obvious reasons, unlike our brethren in our ancestral homeland, we New Worlders have limited access to many of our ancient art forms. However, being a New Yorker we are fortunate to have several world-class institutions with amazing historical treasures. Grabbing a friend, we debated between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters and decided to go to the Met simply because it was closer. We plan to visit the Cloisters shortly.
During our visit, most of our time was spent in the Medieval Art and European Sculpture and Decorative Arts galleries admiring their extensive Byzantine and medieval collections, but we had to make a short detour into the Greek and Roman Art Galleries to see the limestone statue of a boxer known as Manneddu (Prehistoric and Early Greek Art, Gallery 150). On loan from Sardinia, until 6 December 2023, the magnificent giant dates from the early first millennium BC. The colossus is one of the dozens of warrior figures unearthed at the necropolis in Mont'e Prama ("mountain of palm trees") located on the western side of the island. The first to be exhibited in these United States, it is a rare opportunity to experience the enigmatic Nuragic civilization and a must-see if you’re visiting the museum any time soon.
It would have been a near-perfect visit if not for the decadent multimedia installation “A Metta Prayer” being projected on the walls of the Great Hall. In the past one could just ignore and bypass unsavory works you weren’t interested in, but we were forced to endure the vile imagery and verse while waiting in line to buy our entrance tickets.
Disappointed by the increase in subpar exhibits and the forthcoming anti-Western “perspectives,” woke revisionist placards that will mar the European Paintings galleries this fall, we showed our displeasure by paying way, way beneath the recommended $30 general admission for New York State residents.
I absolutely cherish the Met, but until they return to a more professional standard of curation, they won’t get another dime from us—literally. Only because we had to pay something, we begrudgingly forked over a penny each for our tickets. Furthermore, we will not be buying anything from their gift shops either. Whenever possible, we refuse to support any institution that works against our best interests, and that includes museums that betray their fountainhead of patronage.
~ Giovanni di Napoli, October 13th, Feast of St. Edward the Confessor
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| Limestone statue of a boxer, known as Manneddu, Nuragic, 900-750 BC, Sardinia |
It would have been a near-perfect visit if not for the decadent multimedia installation “A Metta Prayer” being projected on the walls of the Great Hall. In the past one could just ignore and bypass unsavory works you weren’t interested in, but we were forced to endure the vile imagery and verse while waiting in line to buy our entrance tickets.
Disappointed by the increase in subpar exhibits and the forthcoming anti-Western “perspectives,” woke revisionist placards that will mar the European Paintings galleries this fall, we showed our displeasure by paying way, way beneath the recommended $30 general admission for New York State residents.
I absolutely cherish the Met, but until they return to a more professional standard of curation, they won’t get another dime from us—literally. Only because we had to pay something, we begrudgingly forked over a penny each for our tickets. Furthermore, we will not be buying anything from their gift shops either. Whenever possible, we refuse to support any institution that works against our best interests, and that includes museums that betray their fountainhead of patronage.
~ Giovanni di Napoli, October 13th, Feast of St. Edward the Confessor
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| Jaharis Byzantine Lectionary, tempera, gold, ink on parchment; leather binding. Written and illuminated about 1100 in Constantinople, probably for Hagia Sophia, the patriarchal seat of the Orthodox Church. Tip of pointer, gold and enamel worked in cloisonné, Byzantine, made about 1080-1150 in Constantinople |
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| Triptych with the Mandylion, oil paint, wood, silver, partly gilded, niello, enamel, sapphies, rubies, spinels, pearls, silk, velvet and leather. Russian, Moscow, the Kremlin Armory Workshops, for the high court official Marfej Timofievich Izmailov in fulfillment of a vow, made in 1637 |
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| Chasse with the Crucifixion and Christ in Majesty, gilded copper on a wood core with champlevé enamel, French, Limoges, made about 1180-90 |
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| Chasse with the Life of Christ, gilded copper on a wood core with champlevé enamel and glass, French, Limoges, made about 1235-45 |
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| Tabernacle of Cherves, champlevé enamel on gilded copper, French, Limoges, excavated at Château-Chesnel, near Cognac, made about 1220-30 |
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| Aquamanile in the form of a Knight on Horseback, copper alloy, German, Lower Saxony, probably Hildesheim, made about 1250 |
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| Aquamanile in the form of a Crowned Centaur Fighting a Dragon, copper alloy, German, Lower Saxony, possibly Hildesheim, made about 1200-1225 |
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| (L) The Visitation attributed to Master Heinrich of Constance, walnut with paint, gilding and rock crystal cabochons, German, from the Abbey of Katharinenthal, Switzerland, made about 1310-20. (R) Shrine of the Virgin, oak with linen covering, paint and gilding, German, Rhine valley, made about 1300 |
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| (L) King Clothar and an Attendant, oak with paint, French, from the Church of Recloses, near Fontainbleau, carved and painted about 1500-1525. (R) Saint Stephen, Hans Leinberger (German, active 1511-30), limewood with traces of paint, German, Lower Bavaria, ca. 1525-30 |
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| Gemellion (hand basin) with knight on horseback, champlevé enamel on gilded copper, French, Limoges, ca. 1250-75 |
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| (L) Saint Martin of Tours, wood with paint and gilding, German, Swabia, carved and painted about 1475-1525. (R) Saint Mary Magdalene or Holy Woman, limestone with traces of paint, French, Champagne, Troyes, ca. 1500-1525 |
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| (L) Saint Catherine of Alexandria, walnut, German, lower Rhine valley, carved about 1530. Saint Margaret of Antioch, alabaster with traces of gilding in the hair, French, possibly Toulouse, carved about 1475 |
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| (L) Saint Catherine of Alexandria, workshop of Jan Crocq (French, active 1486-1511), limestone with traces of paint, French, Lorraine, ca. 1475-1525. (R) Saint Margaret of Antioch, limestone with paint and gilding, Spanish, Burgos, ca. 1275-1325 |
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| Tome effigy bust of Marie de France, Jean de Liege (active about 1361-died 1381), marble with lead inlays, French, from the chapel of Notre-Dame-la-Blanche, Royal Abbey of Saint Denis, Île-de-France, carved about 1381 |
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| Canopy from the Tomb of Philip III (the Bold), King of France, Jean d'Arras (active 1297-1307), marble, French, from the Royal Abbey of Saint Denis, Île-de-France, carved 1297-1307 |
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| (L) Reliquary Statuette of Saint Christopher, silver and gilded silver, French, Toulouse, probably from the church of Lasbordes, made about 1375-1425. (R) Relief with the Virgin and Child, wackestone with traces of paint, North Italian, carved and painted about 1420-30 |
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| (Above & below) Scenes from A Metta Prayer |
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| Our receipt |
