Triptych with the Passion of Christ in the Cloisters, October 2017

Triptych with the Passion of Christ

Date:ca. 1475–85

Culture:South German

Medium:Mother-of-pearl, gilt wood frame, silk backing, and tooled leather covering

Dimensions:Overall (closed): 8 5/16 x 4 9/16 x 1 5/8 in. (21.2 x 11.6 x 4.2 cm) Overall (open): 8 3/8 x 9 7/16 x 7/8 in. (21.2 x 24 x 2.2 cm) wings: 8 3/8 x 2 3/16 x 5/8 in. (21.2 x 5.6 x 1.6 cm)

Classification:Miscellaneous-Shell

Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection, 2006

Accession Number:2006.249

This appears to be the only intact devotional triptych to survive that is decorated with mother-of-pearl plaques in openwork relief. By focusing on each scene, the owner would have been able to follow the narrative of the final moments leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus. Curiously, the story begins in the second scene from the top at the left and proceeds clockwise. Above and below the central scene are symbols of the authors of the Gospels, and also images of Jesus and of Saint Michael slaying the dragon.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/477236