Medallion, probably Margaret of Lorraine (recto); the Virgin Seated on a Throne Before Two Widows (verso)
Léonard Limosin (French, c. 1505–c. 1577)
c. 1530–1540
- Medium
- Painted enamel on copper
- Classification
- Decorative Arts
- Dimensions
- Diam.: 8.8 cm (3 7/16 in.)
- Culture
- Limoges
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Applied Arts of Europe
- Credit line
- The Helmuth Bartsch and Neville and John H. Bryan endowment funds
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Widowhood was an uncertain social state in the sixteenth century; it could be either liberating or severely restrictive. For these women, adopting the lifestyle of a nun and living in a convent was a common occurrence. This medallion with a portrait of a noble widow, perhaps Saint Margaret of Lorraine, was used by such courtly widows as an aid to meditation and spiritual support.
The back side of the medallion depicts a heavenly vision with two widows praying the rosary before the Virgin and Child. The Latin inscription along the rim is the opening to their prayer asking the Virgin to intercede to God on their behalf. The painter’s delicate handling of color and perspective seems to acknowledge the spiritual nature of the subject.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
