Badge or Harness Pendant
Unknown Artist
14th century
Medium
Copper, gold, enamel
Dimensions
H. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm); W. 2 in. (5.1 cm); Wt. 0.5 oz. (14.2 g)
Classification
Miscellaneous-Badges
Culture
Spanish
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1904
Accession Number
04.3.392
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 14th-century Badge Harness Pendant from Spain, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Arms and Armor, measures just 2 3/8 inches high and weighs a mere half ounce. Crafted from copper overlaid with gold and vibrant enamel, it exemplifies medieval metalworking techniques like champlevé enameling, where powdered glass is fused into etched cells to create lasting, jewel-like colors. Such small-scale luxury items highlight the technical prowess of anonymous Spanish artisans during a time of cultural flourishing amid the Reconquista. Likely worn as a harness ornament on a knigh...