Roundel with a Personification of the Moon

Unknown

ca. 860–890 · Cloisonné enamel, Copper alloy, gilding, iron back plate · Medieval Art

This plaque is one of the earliest known examples of the cloisonné-enamel technique in the West. The moon (luna) is symbolically represented here as a female sky goddess riding in a chariot and holding torches. The plaque originally would have been accompanied by another, with an image of the sun, both probably framing a large crucifix.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 860–890

Medium

Cloisonné enamel, Copper alloy, gilding, iron back plate

Culture

Carolingian

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917