Standing Shield

German, Erfurt

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 373

Shields of this exceptionally large size and weight (49 lb. [22 kg]) were propped on the ground to form a wall that protected archers and infantrymen. This example is decorated with the coat of arms of the city of Erfurt––a silver wheel on a red ground––and was probably made before 1324, when the city's coat of arms changed.

Standing Shield, Wood, leather, gesso, silver foil, polychromy, iron, German, Erfurt

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