The best way to get to the Cloisters is to take the A train to 190th Street Subway Station. Inside this rather small and quiet room are seven wall-sized tapestries depicting the story of, “The Hunt of the Unicorn”. She looks like one of the old illuminated manuscripts come to life.The fashions featured in the Treasury are combinations of secular garments and items which were designed for use in the modern day church. A dress by Inside the woodcarvings room, in a glass case, is the silver crown of thorns designed by Before heading back upstairs to the rest of the exhibition, take a moment to explore the Taking the staircase opposite the Treasury, we return upstairs into the Sitting in front of the medieval reliquary from the Netherlands, featuring various busts of female saints, are two curved straw hats by milliner From the Boppard Room, we head into the iconic Unicorn Tapestries room. The Early Gothic Hall houses work from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries but during the Heavenly Bodies Exhibit it focuses once more on the Cult of the Virgin and combines stained glass and wood carvings of the Virgin Mary with gowns inspired by her as well. This reconstruction is a modern interpretation of a European Gothic Chapel. Architects were brought on to rebuild a large and more refined version of Barnard’s church. You can buy your tickets online if you don’t want to wait in line when you get to the museum, which during these popular exhibits is recommended.The MET Cloisters is open seven days a week. Head back outside to enter the Merode Room. The crown covered in stars added to the outfit is also slightly reminiscent of the crown of thorns. There are so many levels of symbolism in the Immaculate Heart, it is one of my favourite images in Christian symbology.

As wheat is another natural element from the garden it fits in nicely with the rest of the Eden inspired dresses.The next room we enter is the Treasury. Heavenly Bodies explores “fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism.” It investigates the influence which religion has had on the cultural imagination as well as the ways in which it directly impacted the visions of fashion designers. These are by designer From the exterior Cloisters, head back inside to the Early Gothic Hall. Garments from this period are extremely hard to come by since most were not properly preserved and have not aged well with the ravages of time. Since this room looks out into the gardens, all pieces in here are inspired by the Garden of Eden. Going on a crusade was thought to redeem your soul if you feared you carried with you any sin. Religious scholars have compared the unicorn to Christ himself, and the pomegranates juice on the unicorns back to a form of stigmata. The dress is made with thousands of gold threads and formed into the shape of wheat, which springs forth from the dress. Placed throughout the room are seven mid-thirteenth and fourteenth-century tombs..On opposite sides of the chapel we can see the fourteenth-century tombs of two Catalan counts of Urgell. Your admission includes all the exhibitions and is valid for three consecutive days at The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. The The second dressed mannequin wears a remarkable black cape and tunic, covered in gold, embroidered stars. The heart being visible outside Mary’s body symbolizes her undying love for the people, so powerful her heart cannot be contained in her body. Sunday–Thursday: 10 am–5:15 pm and Friday and Saturday: 10 am–9 pm. Education and exploration together are two of my life's greatest pleasures. So if you’re planning on attending both the MET 5th Avenue and the Cloisters just keep your sticker and receipt and you won’t have to pay again as long as you go within three days. Watch a video preview of the exhibition Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, on view at The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters from May 10 through October 8, 2018. The Unicorn Tapestries, specifically the final piece of the collection, is perhaps the most well-known image from the Met Cloisters. The mannequin stands in front of an old golden altarpiece from Spain featuring images of the Virgin Mary. In Christian symbology, pomegranates are an important representation of Christ’s resurrection. From the station, it is a beautiful walk through the The Rockefeller’s bought the Cloisters in 1924 when Barnard was forced to sell but the Rockefeller’s were devoted to preserving and expanding the collection. The monastic inspirations can be seen in the simplicity of the garments, as well as their monochromatic colours pallet. The treasury features ancient illuminated manuscripts, prayer books, various reliquaries and precious metalwork objects from the eleventh through the fifteenth century. But here, these stone versions are a spectacular example fashion of the time and every little details and embroidery is crystal clear in this dark stone. Artists were given huge sums of money to create goblets, vestments, books and more. Gallery views of The Costume Institute's spring 2018 exhibition, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, narrated by exhibition curator Andrew Bolton.

Related Content. 05:39 / Posted on May 10th, 2018. This dress was designed by Along the wall we see two pieces facing one and other. I’ve created my own guided tour to help you discover what you’ll see where. It features the figures of nine heroes, both fictional and historical. In some scenes, you can even see the unicorn with a crown of thorns around its head.