Special Exhibition Gallery - Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Art

This expressive crowned female bust with Neapolitan earrings, contemporary dress and double-braided hair has variously been identified as: Sigilgaita Ravello, the wife of Nicola Rufolo, treasurer and banker of Charles of Anjou (r. 1265-85); an allegory of the Church, which Sigilgaita Ravello patronized; and a personification of the hill town of Ravello in the form of Tyche or Fortuna, the classical goddess who symbolized a city's prosperity.

To read the full review, please see Special Exhibition Review - Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Art.

About the show:

The special exhibition Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Art at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases more than 80 sculpted heads dating from before the Fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Using the standard tools of Art History as well as Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), scholars have been able to determine the provenances (origins) of the stone heads and fragments displayed. The show describes the importance of facial expression in medieval sculpture, the role of iconoclasm in the dismemberment of many statues and how scientific innovations helped to uncover important information about many of the works on view.

"Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Art" is on view from September 26, 2006 through February 19, 2007 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82 Street, New York, NY 10028-0198 (Telephone: 212-535-7710; Website). The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM. SUGGESTED admission is $20.00 for adults, $15.00 for seniors (ages 65 and over) and $10.00 for students with valid school identification. Paid parking is available in The Museum Garage.

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From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.