Two Shields Supported by a Wild Man, 15th century
Martin Schongauerexpand_more
Engravingexpand_more
The Winton Jones Endowment Fund for Prints and Drawingsexpand_more 2019.31
Not on Viewexpand_more
This furry fellow crowned with a wreath of vines is a wild man, a creature from just beyond the fringes of civilization. He holds two shields like the symbols that families used to mark their property and their station in life in the late 1400s. Attempts have been made to connect the the hare and the bust of the African youth to specific families, but the results have been inconclusive.
Heads of Black youths frequently appeared on European crests from the 1200s on, with associations to Christian crusades against Islam, slave trading, the Magi (the three kings or wise men who visited the baby Jesus), certain saints (especially Maurice), and general fascination with “exotic” foreigners. He could also be seen as an emblem of bravery contrasted with the skittish hare.
Martin Schongauer made engravings such as this to offer inspiration to silversmiths, painters, and other craftsmen who needed ideas for their own designs.
Details
- Title
- Two Shields Supported by a Wild Man
- Artist Life
- c. 1440/53–1491
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2019.31
- Provenance
- (Gilhofer & Ranschburg, Lucerne, catalogue 22, no. 433. Carl and Rose Hirschler, née Dreyfus, Haarlem (Lugt 633a), acquired September 1929; thence by descent; (C.G. Boerner, New York, 2018)
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Bartsch 105; Lehrs and Hollstein 104
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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