Medieval, 12th-14th century A.D.

Bronze

L: 6 cm, W: 4 cm

Serial: 1599

Provenance: Private collection, acquired in the late 1970s – early 1980s

Decorated with enamel and gilding, this striking bronze pendant is an excellent example of medieval jewelry.  The pendant is in a trefoil shape, each of the lobes outlined in green and red enamel. This shape was one used in the Middle Ages to represent the Christian trinity, with each of the lobes of the trefoil representing a different form of God (the father, son and Holy Spirit), and appears not only in jewelry, but in other decorative arts and architecture as well. Within each of the lobes is a single letter or motif in red and green enamel. In the upper right lobe, the letter is an “A”; in the lower lobe, it is an “M”; what letter or motif was intended in the upper left lobe is unclear. It is possible that this motif was intended to represent a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The letters, no doubt, represent a monogram, the initials of the pendant’s original owner.

The enamel work on this pendant is executed in the champlevé technique. As such, the enameling on this piece was applied by first carving troughs into the surface of the bronze, which then were filled with green and red vitreous enamel. When the object was fired, the enamel melted and filled the troughs. In this way, the beautiful letters and other decorative motifs were created.