Across three generations, men of the d’Aluye family of France embarked for the Holy Land, their mission to reclaim it for European Christians and redeem their own souls. The pride of this knight was such that he chose to be presented for eternity as a heavily armed—but prayerful—warrior. His sword does not match his armor; its form is typical of Chinese weaponry. Did he purchase it in a market of the Holy Land or forcibly wrest it from an adversary?
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Artwork Details
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Title:A Knight of the d'Aluye Family
Date:after 1248–by 1267
Geography:Made in Loire Valley, France
Culture:French
Medium:Limestone
Dimensions:13 × 33 1/2 × 83 1/2 in., 1197 lb. (33 × 85.1 × 212.1 cm, 543 kg)
Classification:Sculpture-Architectural
Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection, 1925
Accession Number:25.120.201
From the Cistercian abbey of La Clarté-Dieu, north of Tours, France; [ Georges J. Demotte 1877–1923, Paris and New York] ; George Grey Barnard American, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 1863–1938 New York, New York (until 1925)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Jerusalem 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven," September 26, 2016–January 8, 2017.
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d'Hozier, Louis Pierre, and Antoine-Marie d'Hozier de Sérigny. Armorial Général, ou Régistres de la Noblesse de France. Vol. 3, pt. 1. Paris: Firmin-Didot, 1752. p. 24.
La Chenaye-Aubert, François Alexandre de. Dictionnaire de la noblesse. 2nd ed. Paris: Veuve Duchesne, 1770. p. 162.
Chalmel, Jean Louis. Tablettes chronologiques de l'histoire civile ecclésiastique de Touraine. Tours: Chez A. Aigre, 1818. no. 10, pp. 504–5.
Sourdeval, Charles de. "Une Statue Tombale du XIIIe Siècle, Jean d’Alluye." Mémoires de la Société Archéologique de Touraine 17 (1865). pp. 154–60.
Carré de Busserole, Jacques-Xavier. Dictionnaire géographique, historique et biographique d'Indre-et-Loire et de l'ancienne province de Touraine. Vol. 2. Société archéologique de Touraine, 1879. pp. 156, 311.
Hucher, Eugène. "Sceau de la Prévoté de l’Abbaye de la Clarté-Dieu près Saint- Paterne (Indre-et-Loire)." Revue Historique et Archéologique du Maine 5 (1879). p. 396.
"Société Archéologique de Touraine: Séance du 28 novembre 1877." Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine 4 (1879). p. 190.
Description of the George Grey Barnard Cloisters. n.p., n.d. [ca. 1912]. no. 38, [unpaginated].
Breck, Joseph. The Cloisters: A Brief Guide. 1st ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1926. p. 16, fig. 7.
Breck, Joseph. "The Sepulchral Effigy of Jean D'Alluye." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, o.s., 24, no. 2 (February 1929). pp. 54–55.
Breck, Joseph. The Cloisters: A Brief Guide. 4th ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1931. p. 16, fig. 8.
Rorimer, James J., and Margaret B. Freeman. The Cloisters: The Building and the Collection of Mediaeval Art, in Fort Tryon Park. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1938. pp. 52–54, fig. 27.
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Rorimer, James J. The Cloisters: The Building and the Collection of Medieval Art in Fort Tryon Park. 3rd revised ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1963. pp. 96–97.
Deuchler, Florens. "The Cloisters: Ein Museum für mittelalterliche Kunst in New York." Du 32, no. 2 (1972). p. 124.
Rorimer, James J. Medieval Monuments at The Cloisters: As They Were and As They Are, edited by Katherine Serrell Rorimer. Revised ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1972. pp. 60–62, fig. 76–78.
Bauch, Kurt. Das mittelalterliche Grabbild: Figürliche Grabmäler des 11. bis 15. Jahrhunderts. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1976. pp. 122–23, fig. 192.
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Young, Bonnie. A Walk Through The Cloisters. 5th ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. pp. 87–89.
Nickel, Helmut. "A Crusader's Sword: Concerining the Effigy of Jean d'Alluye." Metropolitan Museum Journal 26 (1991). pp. 123–28, fig. 1, 2.
Nicolle, David. French Medieval Armies 1000-1300. Men-at-Arms. London: Osprey Publishing, 1991. pp. 45–46, ill. p. 33 (detail).
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Norris, Michael. Medieval Art: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. no. 25, pp. 102–5.
Barnet, Peter, and Nancy Y. Wu. The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture. 75th Anniversary ed. New York and New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012. pp. 88–89.
Boehm, Barbara Drake, and Melanie Holcomb, ed. Jerusalem 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016. no. 108, p. 211.
Boehm, Barbara Drake, and Melanie Holcomb. "Holy War and the Power of Art." In Jerusalem 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven, edited by Barbara Drake Boehm, and Melanie Holcomb. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016. p. 199.
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Cohen, Meredith. "The bestiary beyond the book." In Book of beasts: the bestiary in the medieval world, edited by Elizabeth Morrison. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019. p. 180, fig. 65.
Former intern Angelica Modabber takes readers on a tour of some of the works from The Met collection featured in The Roof Garden Commission: Adrián Villar Rojas, The Theater of Disappearance.
Administrator Christina Alphonso discusses the history behind the knight of the d'Aluye family that has been on view at The Met Cloisters since 1938 and shares its temporary new location.
For the past seventy-five years, The Cloisters has provided visitors with more than just a chance to view an exceptional collection of medieval art and architecture.
Philippe de Montebello, former Director of The Met, guides viewers through The Cloisters, pointing out Romanesque and Gothic architecture and artwork, beautiful tapestries, and the diverse species in the gardens. He outlines the history of the building and its many influences and highlights significant works of art in the collection.
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