The special exhibition Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Art at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases more than 80 sculpted heads dating from before the Fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Using the standard tools of Art History as well as Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), scholars have been able to determine the provenances (origins) of the stone heads and fragments displayed. The show describes the importance of facial expression in medieval sculpture, the role of iconoclasm in the dismemberment of many statues and how scientific innovations helped to uncover important information about many of the works on view.
To read the full review, please see Special Exhibition Review - Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Art.
Images 1-9 of 9
- Head of an Apostle, ca. 1280-1300© The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Head of an Apostle (alternate view), ca. 1280-1300© The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Head of King David, ca. 1145© The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Head of Christ or an Apostle, ca. 1230-50Photograph provided by The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Portrait Bust of a Woman with a Scroll, Late 4th-Early 5th Century© The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Bust of Marie de France, ca. 1381© The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Head of a Cleric, ca. 1450-60© The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Capital with Four Heads, ca. 1230© The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Crowned Bust of a Woman, 1272Photograph provided by The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Used with permission
- Graphic Index
- Text Index