The Cloisters at 99 Margaret Corbin Drive
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in his infinite wisdom and near-infinite bank account, established in 1938 a magnificent castle on some of his land north of Manhattan (land which later became Fort Tryon Park). Nine years into the Depression, the heir to a vast New York fortune was deep in the process of creating a beautiful museum of medieval art on an outcrop overlooking the Hudson River. He donated almost his entire art collection and funded expeditions to the Mediterranean to retrieve entire portions of buildings—apses from Spain, Gothic windows from France, columns from foreign monasteries—to add to the American altar to artwork of the Middle Ages.
The result is a relatively small but seemingly colossal collection of art from all over Europe and springing from the age of the fall of Rome through the Renaissance. Mainly religious and depicting thousands of versions of the birth, life, and death of Christ, each painting, statue, and wall decoration seems nonetheless unique and beautiful in individual and different ways. Tapestries and stained glass in all imaginable colors, revealing shade and depth despite being made of only glass and thread, adorn the walls. The light, filtering through said windows and reflecting off artifacts up to 850 years old, is almost as beautiful as the artifacts themselves. It is a fantastic experience to wander a building that is as much a piece of art as the exhibits within.
The history that pervades the Cloisters is undeniable. Every stone, every brick carries the air of a different time, a time when kings and queens still reigned and the feudal system was considered entirely fair. The collection is incredibly impressive, ringed by gold leaf and performing actions considered necessities in the 1200s—decoration fit for nobility, bedecked in royal purples and reds, and glorifying the wealthy and faithful in a time when these traits were looked up to above all.
The most famous works at the Cloisters (as not even the museum will deny) are the Unicorn Tapestries, depicting a fairy tale of the hunt and capture of a pure and innocent unicorn. The story can be looked upon as allegory for the story of Christ or simply a fable told in a way similar to that tale, but either way the tapestries are beautiful in a special and distinctive way. From the hunt to the trickery of the virgin to the eventual capture and murder of the beast, every moment, every betrayal, and every glorious, colorful detail is portrayed wonderfully. The tapestries, donated by Mr. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1937, recall a time when artwork was taken extremely seriously and artwork such as this was the outcome. What a terrible time, but what art derived from it!
Travel to such a removed location is never a moot point. If you should be convinced that a scenic bus route, watching the city change before your eyes, is your racket, be advised that you will see interesting scenes, but spend a less interesting two or so hours on a stop-and-go bus ride up past 190th Street. The subway (the A to 190th, then the M4 right to the Cloisters’ front door) is the way to go in this case. It’s quick and easy, and a good plan for a good day wandering the beautiful halls of this castle on the hill.
Another advisory—catch a tour at the Cloisters, leaving at 1 pm (for the Gardens) and 3 pm (for the Collection) and chock-full of information you won’t find printed on the museum’s walls. This is a sensational way to take in the sights of a bygone era; a time which perhaps could be called the Dark Ages but certainly, recalled here among such masterworks, could only be viewed in the brightest of retrospective lights.
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