The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 1, 2023

Heraldic Panel with Arms of Lichtenfels and a Unicorn Hunt

c. 1515

Germany or Switzerland, 16th century

White glass with silver stain and pot metal

Overall: 39.1 x 28.9 cm (15 3/8 x 11 3/8 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1954.149

Location

114 Late Northern Renaissance

Fun Fact

The red glass is actually layered over clear glass. Otherwise, it would be too dark to see through.

Description

The upper half of this panel shows a unicorn hunt reconfigured to represent the annunciation. Only a virgin could lure a unicorn who is seen here grasping the horn of the mythical beast; not far behind are the hunter and hounds. The Virgin here is the Virgin Mary and arriving to the scene is the angel Gabriel dressed as a hunter.

Citations
Egli, Michael and Hans Christoph von Tavel, Niklaus Manuel: Catalogue RaisonneĢ. Basel: Schwabe, 2017. Reproduced: p. 551, Kat. R41
Cohen, Meredith. "The Bestiary beyond the Book." In Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World. Elizabeth Morrison and Larisa Grollemond, eds. pp. 177 - 225. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019. Mentioned and reproduced: 222, cat. 71
Exhibition history

Works by Niklaus Manuel Deutsch. Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern, Switzerland (organizer) (September 22-December 9, 1979).

The Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (organizer) (May 14-August 18, 2019).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1954.149