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Shield for the Field or Tournament (Targe)

ca. 1450
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 380
This shield is painted with a coat of arms belonging either to the Gottsmann family or to the related Türriegel family, both of Franconia. The female figure at the side holds a banderole inscribed in part with a motto in German: 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 because 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, whose image was thought to protect against sudden death.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Shield for the Field or Tournament (Targe)
  • Date: ca. 1450
  • Culture: German
  • Medium: Wood, leather, linen, gesso, pigments, silver
  • Dimensions: H. 22 in. (55.88 cm); W. 16 in. (40.64 cm); Wt. 4 lb. 12.15 oz. (2159 g)
  • Classification: Shields
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Florence Blumenthal, 1925
  • Object Number: 25.26.1
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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