Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Tabletop

400–600
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 300
Small tabletops like this one were used to celebrate feasts for the dead at grave sites; this commemorative practice was known throughout the Roman and early Byzantine worlds. The tables were often supported on bases, similar to the example displayed below, which were elaborately carved with messages promising mankind's salvation. Here, at the lower edge of the table, four sheep, representing the blessed according to Matthew 25:33-40, flank a Christogram, a monogram composed of the first two letters of Christ's name in Greek, chi (X) and rho (P). Such tables are often called sigma tables due to their resemblance to the late form of the Greek letter.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tabletop
  • Date: 400–600
  • Geography: Made in Rome
  • Culture: Byzantine
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Overall: 32 7/16 x 35 1/8 x 1 1/2 in. (82.4 x 89.2 x 3.8 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Stone
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1947
  • Object Number: 47.100.50
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

More Artwork
Bracelet with Bust of Roma, Gold, Byzantine
Bracelet with Bust of Roma
Byzantine
400–450
The Farnese Table, Jacopo [Giacomo] Barozzi da Vignola Italian, Marble of different colors, semiprecious stones, Egyptian alabaster, residue of paint of different colors on the piers, Italian, Rome
The Farnese Table
Designer Designed by Jacopo [Giacomo] Barozzi da Vignola
Marble piers carved by Guglielmo della Porta
Pietre Dure top attributed to Giovanni Mynardo (Jean Ménard)
ca. 1565–73
The Antioch "Chalice", Silver (inner cup) and silver with gilding (outer cup and foot), Byzantine
The Antioch "Chalice"
Byzantine
500–550
Medallion with the Bust of an Apostle, Bone, incised, painted in wax and gilded, Roman or Byzantine
Medallion with the Bust of an Apostle
Roman or Byzantine
late 300s
Marble female figure, Marble, Cycladic
Marble female figure
Cycladic
4500–4000 BCE

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.