Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This rare four-lobed plaque is a superb example of <em>émail de plique</em>, a virtuoso enameling method popular in Paris during the late 1200s with the court of Philip the Fair (reigned 1285–1314). Plaques like this were prepared in advance to be attached to larger works including crosses, chalices, reliquaries, or even sewn into precious fabrics for decoration. Given the very distinctive shape of this plaque it is certain to have been created for a specific commission.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
113549
label
Quatrilobed Plaque
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
113549
contentType
object
title
Quatrilobed Plaque
description
This rare four-lobed plaque is a superb example of <em>émail de plique</em>, a virtuoso enameling method popular in Paris during the late 1200s with the court of Philip the Fair (reigned 1285–1314). Plaques like this were prepared in advance to be attached to larger works including crosses, chalices, reliquaries, or even sewn into precious fabrics for decoration. Given the very distinctive shape of this plaque it is certain to have been created for a specific commission.
date
c. 1280–1300
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60757030
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 4.8 x 4.8 cm (1 7/8 x 1 7/8 in.)
cul
France, Paris, Ile-de-France, Gothic period, early 14th century
accession
1932.537
Source extras
tec
Gold, translucent enamel
tombstone
Quatrilobed Plaque, c. 1280–1300. France, Paris, Ile-de-France, Gothic period, early 14th century. Gold, translucent enamel; overall: 4.8 x 4.8 cm (1 7/8 x 1 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Mary Spedding Milliken Memorial Collection, Gift of William Mathewson Milliken, 1932.537
collection
MED - Gothic
didYouKnow
Julien was not the only artisan to produce <em>émaux de plique</em>; therefore, an exact attribution to an artist is problematic.
citations
citation
H. F. “A Quatrefoil Medallion of Translucent Enamel.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 20, no. 3 (March 1933): 38–41.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 38-41
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 148
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 53
citation
Wixom, William D. <em>Treasures from Medieval France</em>. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 174; Reproduced: p. 175; cat. no.III-3
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 52
citation
Milliken, William Mathewson. “Gifts to the Cleveland Museum of Art.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 61, no. 10 (December 1974): 371–383.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 371
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 58
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N., and Elina Gertsman. <em>Myth and Mystique: Cleveland's Gothic Table Fountain</em>. 2016.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 108-111
citation
Mikolic, Amanda, "A Gem of an Enamel", <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em>, 16 (2017).
page_number
p. 16
citation
Mikolic, Amanda. "A Gem of an Enamel: Take a look at a tiny 13th-century plaque from Paris.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 57, no. 3 (May/June 2017): 16.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 16
citation
Distefano, Giampaolo. <em>Esmaltis viridibus: lo smalto de plique tra XIII e XIV secolo.</em> Savigliano: L'Artistica Editrice, 2021.
page_number
cover, cat no. 6, pp. 158-159
creditline
The Mary Spedding Milliken Memorial Collection, Gift of William Mathewson Milliken
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:58:56.940000
sourceId
113549
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Gothic
med
Gold, translucent enamel
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
de73f1cf6b776350