Object Name Tournament Shield (Targe)
Culture German
Date ca. 1450
Medium Wood
Dimensions H. 22 in. (55.88 cm) W. 16 in. (40.64 cm)
Classification Shields
Credit Line Gift of Mrs. Florence Blumenthal, 1925
This shield is painted with a coat of arms, probably that of the Gottsmann family of Franconia. The female figure at the side holds a banderole inscribed in German with the motto: "Hab Mych als Ich Bin... (Take me as I am). The decoration, with its brilliant colors on a silver-foil ground, is remarkably well preserved, as it was hidden for centuries beneath layers of later paint. On the leather-lined back of the shield are traces of a painted figure of Saint Christopher, protector of travelers
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