The Virgin with the Unicorn
Paris, ca 1320/1330
Silver, basse-taille enamel
7,2 cm
Inv.-Nr. MA 2202
From the Pfaffenhofen priory in Schwabenheim on the Selz, acquired in 1883
Gallery 5
Decorated on both sides in the basse-taille enameling technique, this medallion was probably made for a secular purpose. On the front it bears a representation of a unicorn hunt framed in delicate tracery: the mythical beast buries its head in the lap of the Virgin, who is seated in a garden. She clasps the animal's horn; in her right hand she holds a mirror as a symbol of virginal chastity. Meanwhile, a young hunter in a tree is butchering the tame animal with a long lance. The back of the medallion is filled with eight spiralling floral scrolls which develop out of a central quatrefoil with a dragon-like mythical beast. Distinguished by elegance and a gem-like quality, the medallion, which was probably originally owned by the Benedictine Abbey of St Maximin in Trier, is one of the most exquisite pieces of Parisian enamel work known to Gothic art.
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
