A Masterwork of Byzantine Art—The David Plates: The Story of David and Goliath, Activities for Learning

Morales, Esther M., Michael B. Norris, Alice W. Schwarz, and Edith W. Watts (2001)

This title is out of print.

Read online

Download PDF

Watsonline WorldCat

Publication Details

Description

The first in the "A Closer Look" series of learning-activity sets focusing on a particular work of art, this resource encourages young people and adults to look more closely at the Museum's spectacular set of Byzantine silver objects, known as the David Plates. It provides an in-depth exploration of the plates, including their subject—the biblical story of David and Goliath—and essential background information about the culture in which they were made. Also included are maps, teaching strategies, activities for students, a list of key words, and a bibliography.

This learning activity is made possible through the generous support of Mary and Michael Jaharis.

Table of contents

How to Use These Materials

Goals

Background Information

Historical Background
The David Plates
Museum Connections
The Scenes Depicted in the David Plates

Activities

Key Words

Resources

Related Titles

Titles by thematic category (36)

Byzantine Art

Print Titles

Contributions by Andrea M. Achi, Denise Allen, Niv Allon, Ian Alteveer, Carmen C. Bambach, Kelly Baum, Alexis Belis, Monika Bincsik, John Byck, Iria Candela, John T. Carpenter, Stephanie D’Alessandro, Clare Davies, Jayson Kerr Dobney, Ashley Dunn, Adam Eaker, Maryam Ekhtiar, Helen C. Evans, Jennifer Farrell, Mia Fineman, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Amanda B. Garfinkel, John Guy, Navina Haidar, Medill Higgins Harvey, Stephanie L. Herdrich, Alison Hokanson, Melanie Holcomb, Mellissa J. Huber, Eleanor S. Hyun, Shanay Jhaveri, Ronda Kasl, Wolfram Koeppe, Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Alisa LaGamma, Sarah Lepinski, Pengliang Lu, Virginia McBride, Constance McPhee, Asher E. Miller, Iris Moon, Laura Filloy Nadal, Patricia M. Norby, Adela Oppenheim, Nadine M. Orenstein, Diana Craig Patch, Amelia Peck, Jenny Peruski, Joanne Pillsbury, Stephen C. Pinson, David Pullins, Jessica Regan, Aaron Rio, Imani Roach, Jeff L. Rosenheim, Joseph Scheier-Dolberg, Aude Semat, Femke Speelberg, Perrin Stein, Isabel Stünkel, Zhixin Jason Sun, Pierre Terjanian, Abraham Thomas, Thayer Tolles, Stephan Wolohojian. Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 2020–2022, v.80, no. 2 (Fall, 2022). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022.

Achi, Andrea Myers, with contributions by Moèz Achour, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Michelle Al-Ferzly, Roger S. Bagnall, Vince L. Bantu, Fathi Bejaoui, Nejib Ben Lazreg, Deniz Beyazit, Elizabeth S. Bolman, Claire Bosc-Tiessé, Stephanie Caruso, Silvia A. Centeno, Kathrin Colburn, Emilia Cortes, Stephen J. Davis, Marie-Laure Derat, Sarah F. Derbew, Eyob Derillo, Helen C. Evans, Mary K. Farag, Ariel J. Fein, Helina Gebremedhen, Jacopo Gnisci, Father Abate Gobena, Pratima Gopalakrishnan, Emmanuel Iduma, Liz James, Hieromonk Justin of Sinai, Jessica L. Lamont, Jacqueline Lombard, Faouzi Mahfoudh, Dorothy Mahon, Tsedaye Makonnen, Annissa Malvoisin, C. Griffith Mann, Irene Soto Marín, Sigrid Mirabaud, Sailakshmi Ramgopal, Naila Razzaq, Giovanni R. Ruffini, Aleksandra Sulikowska-Bełczowska, Thelma K. Thomas, Kristen Windmuller-Luna, Arielle Winnik, and Felege-Selam Yirga. Africa and Byzantium. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023. See more

Alföldi-Rosenbaum, Elisabeth. "Portrait Bust of a Young Lady of the Time of Justinian." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 1 (1968). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1968. See more

Ball, Jennifer L. "A Double-Headed Eagle Embroidery: From Battlefield to Altar." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 41 (2006). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. See more

Bayer, Andrea, with Laura D. Corey, eds. Making The Met, 1870–2020. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020. See more

Brooks, Sarah T., ed., with essays by Thomas F. Mathews, David Jacoby, Angeliki E. Laiou, Robert F. Taft, S.J., Maria Mavroudi, Sophia Kalopissi-Verti, Vassilios Kidonopoulos, Nancy Patterson Ševčenko, Hans Belting, Antony Eastmond, Donald Ostrowski, and Yuri Pyatnitsky. Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261–1557): Perspectives on Late Byzantine Art and Culture. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. See more

Brown, Katharine Reynolds. "Documents in Gold." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 28, no. 6 (February, 1970). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970. See more

Campbell, Thomas P. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Arabic). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014.

Campbell, Thomas P. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (German). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. See more

Campbell, Thomas P. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Russian). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. See more

Campbell, Thomas P. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Korean). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. See more

Colburn, Kathrin. "A Double-Headed Eagle Embroidery: Analysis and Conservation." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 41 (2006). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. See more

Evans, Helen C. "The Arts of Byzantium." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 58, no. 4 (Spring, 2001). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. See more

Evans, Helen C. Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt: A Photographic Essay. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004. See more

Evans, Helen C., and William D. Wixom, eds., with essays by Speros P. Vryonis, Jr., Thomas F. Mathews, Jeffrey C. Anderson, Annemarie Weyl Carr, Henry Maguire, Robert G. Ousterhout, Ioli Kalavrezou, Eunice Dauterman Maguire, Helen C. Evans, Olenka Z. Pevny, Joseph D. Alchermes, S. Peter Cowe, Thelma K. Thomas, Jaroslav Folda, Priscilla Soucek, and William D. Wixom. The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843–1261. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997. See more

Evans, Helen C., ed., with Brandie Ratliff. Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012. See more

Evans, Helen C., ed., with essays by Helen C. Evans, Alice-Mary Talbot, Slobodan Curcic, Sarah Brooks, Anna Ballian, Annemarie Weyl Carr, Arne Effenberger, Jannic Durand, Warren Woodfin, Scott Redford, Thelma K. Thomas, Anne Derbes, Amy Neff, Maria Georgopoulou, Robert S. Nelson, and Maryan W. Ainsworth. Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261–1557). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004. See more

Evans, Helen C., with contributions by Edward Bleiberg, Lisa R. Brody, Steven Fine, Arnold E. Franklin, Alan Gampel, Claus-Peter Haase, Lyle Humphrey, Hieromonk Justin of Sinai, Annie Montgomery Labatt, Lawrence Nees, Robert Schick, and Carol Snow. Age of Transition: Byzantine Culture in the Islamic World. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015. See more

Frazer, Margaret English. "Hades Stabbed by the Cross of Christ." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 9 (1974). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1974. See more

Frazer, Margaret English. "The Djumati Enamels: a Twelfth-Century Litany of Saints." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 28, no. 6 (February, 1970). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970. See more

Galitz, Kathryn Calley. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masterpiece Paintings. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York, 2016 See more

Grube, Ernst J. "Art Treasures of Turkey." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 26, no. 5 (January, 1968). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1968. See more

Harvey, Maria. “Icon, Contact Relic, Souvenir: The Virgin Eleousa Micromosaic Icon at The Met”: Metropolitan Museum Journal, v. 56 (2021). University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 2021. See more

Hollein, Max. Gifts of Art: The Met's 150th Anniversary. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York, 2020 See more

Morales, Esther M. A Masterwork of Byzantine Art: The David Plates, the Story of David and Goliath. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. See more

Morey, Charles Rufus. "The Mosaics of Hagia Sophia." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 2, no. 7 (March, 1944). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944. See more

Nickel, Helmut. "Of Dragons, Basilisks, and the Arms of the Seven Kings of Rome." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 24 (1989). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989. See more

Pevny, Olenka Z., ed., with essays by Ihor Sevcenko, Alice-Mary Talbot, Yuri Piatnitsky, Vera N. Zalesskaya, Etele Kiss, Thomas Steppan, Liudmyla Milyaeva, Elka Bakalova, Guglielmo Cavallo, Panayotis L. Vocotopoulos, Wlodimierz Godlewski, Nodar Lomouri, and Kitty Matchabeli. Perceptions of Byzantium and Its Neighbors (843–1261). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. See more

Pier, Garrett Chatfield. Catalogue of the Collection of Pottery, Porcelain, and Faïence. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1911. See more

Wander, Steven H. "The Cyprus Plates: The Story of David and Goliath." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 8 (1973). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973. See more

Weitzmann, Kurt, ed. Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1979. See more

Weitzmann, Kurt. "Prolegomena to a Study of the Cyprus Plates." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 3 (1970). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970. See more

Weitzmann, Kurt. "The Late Roman World." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 35, no. 2 (Autumn, 1977). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1977. See more

Whitehouse, David B. "Byzantine Silver Stain," in Journal of Glass Studies, vol. 42 (2000), pp. 85–96. n/a: n/a, 2000.

Whittemore, Thomas J. "On the Dating of Some Mosaics in Hagia Sophia." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 5, no. 1 (Summer, 1946). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1946. See more

Online Titles

Evans, Helen. "Cinematic." 82nd & Fifth. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013. See more

Titles by author (18)

Esther M. Morales

Print Titles

Morales, Esther M. A Masterwork of Byzantine Art: The David Plates, the Story of David and Goliath. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. See more

Michael Norris

Print Titles

Norris, Michael, Carlos Picón, Joan Mertens, Elizabeth Milleker, Seán Hemingway, and Christopher Lightfoot. Greek Art From Prehistoric to Classical: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. See more

Norris, Michael. Medieval Art: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. See more

Thompson, Nancy L., Felicia Blum, Michael Norris, and Edith Watts. Roman Art: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007. See more

Online Titles

Norris, Michael. "Arms and Armor in Medieval Europe." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. See more

Norris, Michael. "Feudalism and Knights in Medieval Europe." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. See more

Norris, Michael. "Life of Jesus of Nazareth." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. See more

Norris, Michael. "The Papacy during the Renaissance." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. See more

Alice Schwarz

Online Titles

Schwarz, Alice. "Hands." Connections. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. See more

Edith W. Watts

Print Titles

Benzel, Kim, Sarah B. Graff, Yelena Rakic, and Edith W. Watts. Art of the Ancient Near East: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010. See more

Kossak, Steven M., ed., and Edith W. Watts. The Art of South and Southeast Asia: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. See more

Morales, Esther M. A Masterwork of Byzantine Art: The David Plates, the Story of David and Goliath. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. See more

Thompson, Nancy L., Felicia Blum, Michael Norris, and Edith Watts. Roman Art: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007. See more

Watts, Edith W. A Masterwork of African Art: The Dogon Couple. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002.

Watts, Edith W. A Young Person's Guide to European Arms and Armor in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1982.

Watts, Edith W. The Art of Ancient Egypt: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998. See more

Online Titles

Watts, Edie. "Bugs." Connections. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 6/15/2011. See more

Watts, Edith. "Couples in Art." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. See more

Plan Ahead

MetPublications