The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 24, 2025
Door and Frame
late 1400s
Overall: 278.9 x 104.8 x 14 cm (109 13/16 x 41 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.)
Description
This elaborately carved door and frame was intended for use in a protected interior space as suggested by the delicate open tracery above and its use of polychromy. Though its original context is unknown, the door's placement may have been within either a domestic or ecclesiastical building. The inscription in Old French—Mal vit qui ne mande—is enigmatic and has been suggested to translate roughly as "He lives badly who does not ask." The source of the inscription is unclear but may have been a proverb or motto current during the time.- "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 2 (1917): 26-37. Mentioned: p. 27 www.jstor.org"The Relation of the Museum to Local Industry." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 5, no. 10 (1918): 122-31. Reproduced: p. 119 www.jstor.org"Closing Days of the Inaugural Exhibition." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 3, no. 3 (1916): 1-4. Reproduced: p. 11; mentioned: p. 3 www.jstor.org
- {{cite web|title=Door and Frame|url=false|author=|year=late 1400s|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.2051