Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Portable Altar
Not on view
This small altar was used to take Mass to those unable to attend church. Eucharistic vessels containing wine and bread were placed upon the serpentine surface, which is surrounded by engravings of saints related to Hildesheim Cathedral, including its bishops Bernward and Godehard. The engravings are later additions that probably imitate the original program. The ivory busts on the sides depict Christ with Saints Peter and Paul, eight apostles, and Mary with two angels and two holy virgins.
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