| |  | | Art History Study Group—The Erotics of Gothic Ivories | Wednesday, January 28, 4–5:30 pm
Online (Zoom)
Parisian ivory carvers of the 14th century produced an array of works intended for use in the game of courtly love. Mirror backs, writing tablets, combs, and boxes for treasured goods depicted scenes from Arthurian tales, games of courtship, and other visual motifs celebrating the amorous antics of the elite. Join curator Melanie Holcomb to uncover the erotic sensibility that informs gothic ivories and examine how these objects promoted the ideals of pleasure and intimacy.
Content Warning: This talk will include medieval images of eroticized violence.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages.
Fee: $40. Note: This live event takes place on Zoom. Space is limited; advance registration is required. Registration closes Tuesday, January 27, 2026, or when registration is full.
Register now → |  | | The Met Cloisters Late Night: Night of Desire | Thursday, February 12, 6–9 pm
Museum-wide, The Met Cloisters
Follow your heart to The Met Cloisters! Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special after-hours event dedicated to medieval love and desire. Take a stroll through the galleries, create art to gift your sweetheart, mingle with experts, and catch a live performance. Spend the evening with someone special and discover the passionate world of the Middle Ages.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages.
Fee: $50. Note: Space is limited; advance registration is required. Drink specials and light fare available for purchase. Activities are subject to change.
Buy tickets → |  | | Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages | Through March 29, 2026
Gallery 002, Fuentidueña Chapel
Desire in the Middle Ages was multifaceted. It could be courtly or carnal, sacred or subversive, and expressed as a kind of longing, suffering, or joy. Medieval artists could be both deeply serious and comical in their evocations of these feelings. Drawing on decades of scholarship, Spectrum of Desire opens up new ways of seeing the past through stirring works of art that inspire us to think more expansively about people who lived in the Middle Ages, their relationships, and the artworks they produced.
Learn more → | |  | | | | | Accessibility at The Met
The Met is committed to accessibility for all. For information about accessibility, programs, and services for people with disabilities at both Met sites, visit metmuseum.org/access. To request an access accommodation for virtual programs or online resources, email [email protected], or call 212-650-2010. For information about accessibility on our website, see our Website Accessibility Statement. | Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages is made possible by the Michel David-Weill Fund and Kathryn A. Ploss.
Public programs at The Met Cloisters are made possible in part by The Helen Clay Frick Foundation.
For Education program funders, visit metmuseum.org/educationfundingsupport.
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Images: Tristan and Isolde see the reflection of King Mark in a fountain, and a maiden and hunter entrap a unicorn (detail), Box with Romance Scenes, French, ca. 1310–30. Elephant ivory. Dimensions: 4 5/16 × 9 15/16 × 6 1/4 in., 3.2 lb. (10.9 × 25.3 × 15.9 cm, 1454g). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917, The Cloisters Collection, 1988 (17.190.173a, b; 1988.16) | Aquamanile in the Form of Phyllis and Aristotle, Netherlandish, late 14th or early 15th century. Copper alloy, 12 ¾ x 7 x 15½ in. (32.5 x 17.9 x 39.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975 (1975.1.1416) | Late Night gif images by Don Pollard and Filip Wolak | All other photos by Filip Wolak | | | |
