Medieval art at the Metropolitan - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Magazine Antiques, May, 1999 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

Two related exhibitions currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City present an extraordinary look, albeit from distinctly different points of view, at medieval and early Renaissance art. The first, Mirror of the Medieval World, has been mounted to celebrate the significant achievements of William D. Wixom, the former Michel David-Weill chairman, and now curator emeritus, of the museum's department of medieval art and the Cloisters. It is on view until July 4 and is made possible by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Wixom spent more than twenty years at the museum involved in all types of curatorial matters both mundane and exciting, but his tangible legacy is an extraordinary group of accessions.

The accompanying catalogue of nearly three hundred works acquired during this period includes examples in all mediums, among them numerous masterpieces. Wixom's catalogue essay," Twenty Years of Collecting Medieval Art," is a revealing short course in connoisseurship and current museum practices with regard to acquisitions. The Metropolitan, as one of the world's largest art institutions, is a powerful player in the international art market, and Wixom explains the regulations that have guided collecting practices. These are divided into three realms. The most significant and expensive potential acquisitions need the approval of the director and the acquisitions committee of the board of trustees. Middle-range objects require the consent of the director; and less expensive objects may be pun:rased at the discretion of the department head. The latter have been described as the "whispers of an history," and indeed, some startling discoveries have been made about some of the objects for which the museum paid little.

Naturally, museums depend on the largesse of donors who fund purchases and give or bequeath works of an. Wixom has a wonderful subchapter devoted to "intellectual gifts," in which he credits and thanks colleagues who assisted in assessing potential accessions. Finally, there is a section devoted to "mistakes" - a forgery, a later cast, and a piece that was restored in the nineteenth century.

The works are installed in the exhibition according to theme. Thus, the Bronze Age jewelry, Byzantine silver and enamels, Anglo-Saxon cloisonne, Spanish Romanesque manuscript pages, panels of stained glass, wood sculptures, and tapestry fragments are displayed according to what is depicted. Among these themes are animals and plants, the human figure, architecture, ecclesiastical and private devotional objects, and lastly worldly concerns such as romance, vanity, and leisure.

The second exhibition, The Treasury of Saint Francis of Assisi, which will travel elsewhere in the United States, was mounted to call attention to the devastating effects of the earthquake that struck the Italian town of Assisi in September 1997. Nearly seventy medieval and Renaissance objects have been loaned by Italian institutions, which, at the Metropolitan Museum, are supplemented by thirty works from other museums and private collections. The show remains on view until June 27.

The exhibition is divided into three principal sections. The first examines the importance of the Basilica and Convent of San Francesco, which was founded in 1228 and soon became a center of medieval piety and related artistic activity. Liturgical objects, such as reliquaries and chalices, are joined by manuscripts and embroideries made from the Byzantine period through the sixteenth century. The second part is devoted to the Cantiere of Assisi, the large artistic workshop that grew while the Convent of Assisi was being constructed and decorated between 1230 and 1330. The final section presents panel paintings and other objects donated to the basilica in 1955 by the art historian and dealer Frederick Mason Perkins. These works were executed by such well-known masters as Pietro Lorenzetti, Lorenzo Monaco, Fra Angelico, and Sassetta.

The catalogue of Mirror of the Medical World is published by the Metropolitan Museum. The catalogue of The Treasury of Saint Francis of Assisi is published in English and Italian by Electa, Milan. Both are available from the museum's bookstore by calling 800-468-7386.