The Cloisters: medieval art and architecture

Abstract

The Cloisters is a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. This splendid new guide, richly illustrated with more than 175 colour pictures, offers a broad introduction to the remarkable history of The Cloisters as well as a lively and informative discussion of the treasures within. Assembled from Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements dating from the twelfth through the fifteenth century, The Cloisters is itself a New York City landmark, overlooking sweeping vistas of the Hudson River in Upper Manhattan. Long cherished as a world-class museum, its several gardens feature plants, fruit trees and useful herbs, familiar from the collection's medieval tapestries and other works of art. Among the masterworks of medieval religious and domestic life housed in The Cloisters are exceptional examples of carved ivory, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, silver- and goldsmiths' work and tapestries, including the famous Unicorn in Captivity.