Medallion from a Coffret
Unknown Artist
ca. 1210
Medium
Copper: pierced, repoussé, chased, engraved, scraped, stamped, and gilt; champlevé enamel: medium blue and red.
Dimensions
Overall: 3 1/4 x 3/16 in. (8.2 x 0.4 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Champlevé
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.794
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite medallion, dating to around 1210, hails from medieval France and once adorned a *coffret*—a small, ornate box likely used for relics, jewels, or devotional items. Crafted by an unknown artist, it exemplifies the Gothic era's fascination with intricate metalwork and vibrant enamels, blending technical mastery with symbolic storytelling. Measuring just over 3 inches across, its diminutive size belies its grandeur, featuring motifs of men and dragons that evoke chivalric tales or biblical struggles between virtue and vice, common in 13th-century art. The medallion's copper base un...