Roundel with Scenes of the Attack on the Castle of Love
Unknown Artist
ca. 1320–40
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
Overall: Diam. 5 9/16 x 1/2 in. (Diam. 14.1 x 1.2 cm)
Classification
Ivories
Culture
French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 2003
Accession Number
2003.131.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the enchanting world of medieval chivalry with this exquisite *Roundel with Scenes of the Attack on Castle of Love*, a ivory carving from around 1320–40. Carved in high relief on a delicate disk just 5 9/16 inches in diameter, it a lively siege: knights on horseback charge a fortress defended by women, wielding bows and arrows in a playful assault symbolizing romantic pursuit. This whimsical motif, rooted in courtly love traditions from troubadour poetry and Arthurian tales, turns warfare into flirtation—arrows perhaps tipped with Cupid's darts or flowers. Ivory was a prized medium ...