ticketsMember | Make a donation

Plaque with Scenes at Emmaus

ca. 850–900
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 14
Among the finest ivory carvings in the Cloisters collection, this plaque depicts Christ’s appearance to two of his disciples after his Resurrection. Christ, who is distinguished by his halo, meets the disciples along the road to the town of Emmaus, near Jerusalem. As described in the Gospel of Luke (24:13–35), although not recognizing Christ, they urge him to stay in town with them. Once within Emmaus, they finally recognize him as he breaks bread for their shared evening meal. Judging from the horizontal format and the recesses along the top edge to accommodate hinges, this plaque once served as the back panel of a small coffret. Originally, the recessed images of birds and flowers in the border were filled with gold foil.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Plaque with Scenes at Emmaus
  • Date: ca. 850–900
  • Geography: Made in northern France
  • Culture: Carolingian
  • Medium: Elephant ivory
  • Dimensions: Overall: 4 9/16 x 9 1/4 x 1/4 in. (11.5 x 23.5 x 0.6 cm)
  • Classification: Ivories-Elephant
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1970
  • Object Number: 1970.324.1
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Plaque with the Crucifixion and the Holy Women at the Tomb, Elephant ivory, Carolingian
Plaque with the Crucifixion and the Holy Women at the Tomb
Carolingian
ca. 870
Plaque with Saint John the Evangelist, Elephant ivory, Carolingian
Plaque with Saint John the Evangelist
Carolingian
early 9th century
Plaque with the Holy Women at the Sepulchre, Elephant ivory, North Italian
Plaque with the Holy Women at the Sepulchre
North Italian
early 10th century
Two Scenes of Christ and the Apostles, Elephant ivory with traces of paint, French
Two Scenes of Christ and the Apostles
French
ca. 850–900
Pyxis, Elephant ivory, Spanish
Pyxis
Spanish
ca. 950–75

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries 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 complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.