Time-tripping at the Cloisters
Written: Jan 05 '01 (Updated Jun 25 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unique arrangement of medieval treasures
Cons: It took me so long to get there!
The Bottom Line: Visit when you can, and be sure to return in the warmer months as well when the gardens are at their peak.
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| sarahgutch's Full Review: Metropolitan Museum of Art |
I was determined not to be party again to another Cloisters drive-by, seeing the sign off Riverside Drive and impulsively zipping up the exit ramp into Fort Tryon Park, only to be disappointed because the museum was about to close for the day. This really happened, at least three times in the last decade! Last Wednesday, we checked the schedule at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website and left the house with plenty of time for a real visit.
We arrived and paid a nominal donation, and as I gazed at the sprays of ivy with clusters of filberts, apples and rose hips arranged symmetrically around the arched doorways, we were told that the concert would start momentarily in the Late Gothic Hall. The concert? What a nice surprise! We joined the hundred or so other folks waiting tentatively in the hall, my husband settling down on the floor with our sleeping toddler sprawled, Pieta-like, across his lap. The least I could do was stand behind him, my legs providing a bit of a back rest.
Suddenly, we heard the voice of an angel. It was Drew Minton, one of a trio of voice and harp and lute musicians who call themselves Trefoil, and they presented an incredibly beautiful program entitled Christo E Nato, music of Medieval Florence. The acoustics were perfect in the vaulted ceiling of the hall, and the trio gestured at appropriate times to statues of the Madonna or other sacred sculpture. This was one of those enchanting moments that I like to file in the recesses of my memory, to pull out and hold close when life isn't so perfect.
The Trefoil concert is just one of many activities presented at the Cloisters, which is a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The only brochure in which I found a listing for the concert was in the bimonthly Calendar of Exhibitions & Programs. After the music stopped, we began to browse the rest of the museum, which was opened in 1938. It is a modern structure arranged in a medieval style, to accommodate chapels, archways, doors, stained glass and other architectural elements including, yes, cloisters. These elements were collected from European churches and monasteries in various states of neglect, and reassembled to provide a beautiful backdrop for the art and artifacts, including the famous (and indescribably beautiful) Unicorn Tapestries.
The Treasury room was fascinating. There were many pieces of jewelry, reliquaries and manuscripts, and a collection of 52 playing cards, hand-illuminated and gilt with pictures depicting the hunt (hunting horns, dog collars, hound tethers and game nooses) instead of the four suits with which we are familiar (hearts, spades, clubs, diamonds). It's the only complete set of cards of its kind, and probably was never actually used so the cards are in pristine condition despite their age (1470-1485).
The museum building is situated in lovely Fort Tryon Park, overlooking the Hudson River. Several gardens are planted in medieval style within and around The Cloisters, although we visited in the dead of winter, so there's my motivation to return in the spring! We all need to have special places to retreat from everyday busyness. The Cloisters has become one of those uncommonly serene places for me. I only wish I'd found it sooner.
For directions and other visitor information to The Met visit their website http://www.metmuseum.org
For information on Trefoil, http://www.angelfire.com/music/DrewMinter/docs/trefoil.htm
6/25/2001: I just noticed in my July 2001 Channel Thirteen guide that MetroArts/Thirteen is featuring The Cloisters during the week of July 2-8, 2001. Check your local cable guide and see if you can catch it!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sarahgutch
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Member: Abbie Slaman
Location: NJ
Reviews written: 42
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