Capital with Bust of the Archangel Michael

1250–1300

Not on view

Restituted

This artwork was restituted in September 2025. It is no longer in the museum’s collection.

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This beautifully carved fragment was once part of the interior architecture of a church, perhaps placed at the top of a tomb niche or altar screen. Archangels were often portrayed, as here, in the ceremonial dress of the Byzantine emperor, the head of Christ's earthly court.

Artwork Details

Title: Capital with Bust of the Archangel Michael
Date: 1250–1300
Geography: Made in Constantinople
Culture: Byzantine
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: Overall: 10 x 6 3/4 x 4 3/16 in. (25.4 x 17.1 x 10.6 cm)
Classification: Sculpture-Architectural
Credit Line: Lent by the Republic of Türkiye
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters