This sculpture of Aaron and the opposite figure of Moses form part of a rare ensemble of key figures from the Hebrew Bible. They symbolically prefigure the redemption offered through the sacrificial death of Christ, and with other statues originally flanked an enthroned Virgin and Child that still survives in the Gothic cathedral at Noyon. The sculptures are distinguished by garments of weighty fabric arranged in swelling volumes stretched around the body. Here, the Levite priest Aaron covers his head with a veil and holds a scroll. After their removal from the cathedral in the wake of the French Revolution, the sculptures were affected by different environmental conditions.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:The Priest Aaron
Date:ca. 1170
Geography:Made in Noyon, Picardy (Oise)
Culture:French
Medium:Limestone
Dimensions:Overall: 50 x 16 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (127 x 41.9 x 34.3 cm)
Classification:Sculpture-Stone
Credit Line:The Bequest of Michael Dreicer, 1921
Accession Number:22.60.17
From the Cathedral of Noyon, Picardy; Michael Dreicer, New York (until 1922)
Breck, Joseph. "The Michael Dreicer Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, o.s., 17, no. 5 (May 1922). p. 106, ill. p. 108.
"List of Accessions and Loans." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, o.s., 17, no. 5 (May 1922).
"La collection Michael Dreicer au Musée métropolitain de New-York." Revue archéologique 15 (January-June 1922). p. 342.
Rorimer, James J. Ultra-Violet Rays and their Use in the Examination of Works of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1931. p. 26, fig. 17.
Rorimer, James J., and William Holmes Forsyth. "The Medieval Galleries." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 12, no. 6 (February 1954). p. 132.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Guide to the Collections: Medieval Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1962. fig. 40.
Hayward, Jane, and Walter Cahn. Radiance and Reflection: Medieval Art from the Raymond Pitcairn Collection. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1982. pp. 116–17.
Williamson, Paul. Medieval Sculpture and Works of Art: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. London: Philip Wilson Publishers, 1987. pp. 36–38, fig. 5–7.
Little, Charles T. "Resurrexit: A Rediscovered Monumental Sculpture Program from Noyon Cathedral." In The Cloisters: Studies in Honor of the Fiftieth Anniversary, edited by Elizabeth C. Parker, and Mary B. Shepard. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992. pp. 234–59, fig. 4, 5, 6.
Little, Charles T. "Searching for the Provenances of Medieval Stone Sculpture: Possibilities and Limitations." Gesta 33, no. 1 (1994). pp. 32–36, fig. 14, ill. p. 35, fig. 14.
Sandron, Dany. "Premiers résultats d'une programme franco-américaine d'analyses pétrographiques." Bulletin Monumental 153, no. 2 (1995). p. 196.
Williamson, Paul. Gothic Sculpture 1140-1300. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995. p. 28, 123, 128.
Wixom, William D. "Medieval Sculpture at the Metropolitan: 800 to 1400." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 62, no. 4 (2005). p. 19.
Daussy, Stéphanie Diane. "L'aménagement liturgique du chevet de la cathédrale de Noyon." Viator 42 (2011). p. 171.
Little, Charles T., and Miguel Ayres de Campos. The McCarthy Collection: Sculpture. Vol. IV. London: Ad Ilissvm, 2024. fig. 34.2, p. 94.
Jean de Liège (Franco-Netherlandish, active ca. 1361–died 1381)
ca. 1381
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
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 complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world, encompassing the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance.