The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) (Hardcover)

by Peter Barnet (Author), Nancy Wu (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Highly recommended for collections focusing on medieval studies, architecture, and decorative arts."-Library Journal (Library Journal )

Product Description

The Cloisters is the 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 color 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 with 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, it also contains beautiful gardens featuring 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.

Enriched by the latest scholarship from The Cloisters’ expert staff of curators, educators, and horticulturalists, this volume will stand as the definitive source on the collection for years to come.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300111428
• ISBN-13: 978-0300111422
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #659,339 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a stunning work, January 26, 2008

By	Elvisettey "elvisette" (USA) - See all my reviews

What a beautiful book! This text "breaks apart" the structure of the Cloisters (itself assembled in a bit of a hodgepodge), taking individual elements and structures and examining them.

As an example of how accurate the descriptions are and how vividly it describes things: a few months after first looking at the book, I read a mystery in which there was a chase scene and a shootout (!) at the Cloisters. Because I had read this book, I was able to follow the *entire* scene and picture each major landmark mentioned. I hadn't been to the Cloisters in 10 years, but the book brought it all back that well!

The book is full of full-color photography, with descriptive text. However, this is more than a coffee table book; it deserves to be studied, not just propped up for looks. If you do get it, read it and do it justice!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ravishing pictures, November 1, 2008

By	Jeri Nevermind "loves to read" (Idaho) - See all my reviews

The Cloisters is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and it's a precious jewel among our museums. At the end of the Victorian era and the beginning of the 20th century interest in the art and architecture of the Middle Ages peaked. Because so many wealthy people collected examples and donated them to the Cloisters, it became one of the finest examples of high quality art and architectural fragments from the Middle Ages.

If you can't visit New York anytime soon, this book captures the museum in all its quirky detail, from the churches and apses to the sculpture and stained glass. Color pictures lavishly display the glories of the Cloisters. Small, architectural fragments decorate the building. There are doorway surrounds, altars, sarcophagus, capitals festooned with saints, apostles, and strange beasts.

One striking piece--and it is only about 8 inches tall--is plate 46--which shows an ivory sculpture of the Madonna, and she is smiling down at the infant Christ. It's personal and tender in a way not usual for the time.

Everyday objects are also on display, including a set of 52 playing cards which appears, from the picture, to be in perfect condition.

An aquamanile in the form of a lion--plate 73--shows the pomp and pride of the renaissance that is to come.