Medallion with the Face of Christ in the Cloisters, October 2017

Medallion with the Face of Christ

Date:ca. 1380–1400

Geography:Made in Lands of the Teutonic Knights, present-day Poland

Culture:Polish

Medium:Baltic amber with traces of paint

Dimensions:Overall: 3 1/4 x 1 5/16 in. (8.2 x 3.3 cm)

Classification:Lapidary Work-Amber

Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection, 2011

Accession Number:2011.503

Carved from amber, a honey-colored fossilized pine resin, this luminous image seems to echo medieval prayers that praise the Face of Jesus, shining with “the semblance of divine splendor.” Europe’s amber trade was controlled by the Teutonic Knights, whose castles dominated the Baltic coast. Amber carvers made rosary beads and, occasionally, for princely patrons, statuettes of saints or holy images like this one, framed in silver or ivory. Only two other examples survive, both with silver frames.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/479584