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Tympanum with the Three Temptations of Christ

1150–75
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 01
The semicircular tympanum over the door represents three summarily presented confrontations between Jesus and the Devil. They are meant to be read from right to left, leading to the happy conclusion that shows two angels bringing food to Jesus at the end of his temptations in the desert. The lintel, with angels supporting a medallion with the Lamb of God, was found in a mill in the village of Errondo in the 1920s. The tympanum is proportionately too small and may come from a different context. Nevertheless, the sculpture has been compared to the work of an artist active in Tuscany and along the Mediterranean shores of France. He is known as the Master of Cabestany after a village near the border of Spain where he worked.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tympanum with the Three Temptations of Christ
  • Date: 1150–75
  • Geography: Made in Unciti, Navarre, Spain
  • Culture: Spanish
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: Overall: 31 x 60 1/4 x 8 in. (78.7 x 153 x 20.3 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Architectural
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.122.1
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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Lintel with Angels Supporting the Lamb of God, Limestone, Spanish
Lintel with Angels Supporting the Lamb of God
Spanish
1150–75
Enthroned Virgin and Child, Maple, paint, and gilt, Spanish
Enthroned Virgin and Child
Spanish
ca. 1280–1300
Joseph (from a group with the Adoration of the Magi), Limestone, Spanish
Joseph (from a group with the Adoration of the Magi)
Spanish
ca. 1175–1200
Sculpture of a Wise Man (from a Group with the Adoration of the Magi), Limestone, Spanish
Sculpture of a Wise Man (from a Group with the Adoration of the Magi)
Spanish
ca. 1175–1200
Wise Man (from a group with the Adoration of the Magi), Limestone, Spanish
Wise Man (from a group with the Adoration of the Magi)
Spanish
ca. 1175–1200

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