Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere

This ivory plaque shows the Journey to Emmaus and Jesus telling Mary Magdalene not to touch him or “Noli me tangere,” which is Latin for “Don’t Touch Me.”

According to the Gospels, Jesus appeared to his disciples several times after the Resurrection, including on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

The top of this plaque shows the disciples lament the Crucifixion, while Jesus explains the redemptive nature of his sacrifice.

The bottom of this plaque shows the scene where Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, who when she recognizes him, he tells her not to touch him since the Ascension has not yet occurred.

The swirling drapery and emphatic gestures convey the drama of the events portrayed and reference the plaque to works produced in León, Spain, which was a famous royal city on the pilgrimage road.

This ivory carving was part of a larger ensemble, decorated with other scenes from the life of Jesus.

Noli me Tangere

“Noli me tangere” is the Latin version of a phrase spoken, according to the Gospel of John, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when she recognized him after his resurrection.

The biblical scene of Mary Magdalene recognizing Jesus Christ after his resurrection became the subject of a long, widespread, and continuous iconographic tradition in Christian art from Late Antiquity to the present. The expression has also found its way into culture and literature.

Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere

• Title:             Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere
• Date:            ca. 1115–20
• Culture:         Spanish
• Geography:   Made in León, Spain
• Medium:       Ivory, traces of gilding
• Dimensions: 10 5/8 x 5 1/4 x 3/4 in. (27 x 13.4 x 1.9 cm); Wt: 30.5oz. (866g)
• Museum:      Metropolitan Museum of Art – MET

Medieval depictions of Jesus

A Tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art – MET

MET Greek and Roman Art Collection

• Statue of a Kouros
• Amathus Sarcophagus
• Mycenaean Terracotta Female Figures

MET Egyptian Art Collection

• The Temple of Dendur
• The Sphinx of Hatshepsut
• William the Faience Hippopotamus

MET Asian Art Collection

• Luohan – Yixian Glazed Ceramic Sculpture
• Pillow with Landscape Scenes – Zhang Family Workshop
• Jar with Dragon
• Fine Wind, Clear Morning by Katsushika Hokusai

MET Ancient Near Eastern Art Collection

• Sumerian Standing Male Worshiper
• Head of a Beardless Royal Attendant – Eunuch
• Human-Headed Winged Bull (Lamassu)

MET Islamic Art Collection

• Blue Qur’an
• Marble Jar of Zayn al-Din Yahya Al-Ustadar
• The Damascus Room

MET Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas Collection

• Benin Ivory Mask
• African Face Mask – Kpeliye’e
• Sican Funerary Mask – Peru
• Ceremonial Axe – Papua New Guinea

MET Medieval Art Collection

• “The Last Supper” by Ugolino di Nerio
• Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere
• Doorway from the Church of San Nicolò, San Gemini

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“Those that walketh with the wise shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
– Proverbs of Solomon

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Photo Credit: 1) Metropolitan Museum of Art [CC BY 2.5 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons