Plaque with Marking of the Door with the Letter Tau

German

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 304

The image here had its origin in the Passover, when Moses ordered the elders of Israel to mark the houses of the Israelites with the blood of a slain lamb to protect their households. For Christians, the tau came to be seen as an emblem of God's protection. In the enamel, the mark is placed on a building resembling a medieval church, with a prominent cross on the roof.

Plaque with Marking of the Door with the Letter Tau, Champlevé enamel, copper alloy, gilt, German

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Plaque with Marking of the Door with the Letter Tau, Champlevé enamel, copper alloy, gilt, German
Plaque with Marking of the Door with the Letter Tau, Champlevé enamel, copper alloy, gilt, German

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.