The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Heraldic Panel with Arms of Lichtenfels and a Unicorn Hunt

Heraldic Panel with Arms of Lichtenfels and a Unicorn Hunt

c. 1515
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

Did You Know?

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.
  • 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
  • The Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (organizer) (May 14-August 18, 2019).
    Works by Niklaus Manuel Deutsch. Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern, Switzerland (organizer) (September 22-December 9, 1979).
  • {{cite web|title=Heraldic Panel with Arms of Lichtenfels and a Unicorn Hunt|url=false|author=|year=c. 1515|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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