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Medallion, probably Margaret of Lorraine (recto); the Virgin Seated on a Throne Before Two Widows (verso)

A work made of painted enamel on copper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of painted enamel on copper.

Date:

c. 1530–c. 1540

Artist:

Attributed to Léonard Limosin (French, c. 1505–c. 1577)

About this artwork

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.

Status

On View, Gallery 238

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Léonard Limosin

Title

Medallion, probably Margaret of Lorraine (recto); the Virgin Seated on a Throne Before Two Widows (verso)

Place

Limoges (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1525–1545

Medium

Painted enamel on copper

Dimensions

Diam.: 8.8 cm (3 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

The Helmuth Bartsch and Neville and John H. Bryan endowment funds

Reference Number

2019.1181

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/251131/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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