On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Four-Sided Stela
Not on view
The Armenians under King Tiridates the Great (r. 287–ca.330) converted to Christianity through the efforts of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. This stela, one of the earliest surviving works of Armenian Christian art, depicts a haloed Saint Gregory and an animal-headed man. He may be the king, who became like a wild boar after ravaging the Christian virgin Hripsime. When Saint Gregory cured Tiridates, the king and his people converted to Christianity, making the Armenians the first Christian nation. The Virgin and Child appear enthroned on the third side of the stela. The fourth side shows a bare-headed man who may be the donor.
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