

Plaque with Personification of the Moon, 860–90
Southern France
Copper alloy, iron, and cloisonné enamel
Southern France
Copper alloy, iron, and cloisonné enamel
Overall 3 3/8 x 1/4 in. (8.6 x 0.6 cm)
Inscribed in Latin: luna
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.688)
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.







