Box Panel with Lovers Exchanging Gifts
(Medieval Europe )
Four couples in lavish court costume are placed beneath ogee arches supported by colonnettes. From left to right, the couples exchange a ring, a pet squirrel, a flower, and a bunch of hearts. The background is lightly crosshatched.
On the rear of the panel the date "1417" is written in Arabic numerals. A poem is written in a 16th-century hand in two lines, divided in the center by a configuration which may be the capital letter I or H. The poem reads:
Dear lady I love you loyally
And pray God that you not forget me
And I place myself at your command
Without evil intent and without folly.
The date and inscription are 16th-century additions.
There is a large series of holes for the original mounts, some of which have been filled with plaster. A break and chip occur on the right end.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
1995-1996 | Medieval Games of Love and War. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Belgium, Flanders
(Place of Origin)
France, Burgundy (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 2 3/16 x W: 9 1/16 in. (5.6 x 23 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1925
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.204