Medallion with Two Warriors, One Bearded, with Swords and Bucklers
Unknown Artist
ca. 1240–60
Medium
Copper: engraved and gilt; champlevé enamel: medium and light blue and white
Dimensions
Overall: 3 9/16 x 1/16 in. (9 x 0.2 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
17.190.2148
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite medallion, crafted by an unknown French artist around 1240–60, captures two fierce warriors—one bearded—locked in combat or readiness, wielding swords and bucklers (small round shields). Measuring just 3 9/16 inches across and remarkably thin at 1/16 inch, this tiny treasure from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Medieval Art collection likely served as jewelry, a badge, or a decorative mount, evoking the chivalric world of 13th-century Europe. The showcases masterful champlevé enamel technique, where troughs were engraved into a copper base, filled with vibrant medium and light b...