coffret panel with scenes from the courtly romance, "La Chastelaine de Vergi", unknown maker from France
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This low-relief panel, one side of a small jewelry box known as a coffret, features four scenes from the courtly love poem The Chatelaine of Vergy. The first scene shows a knight defending his honor to his duke after the duchess falsely accuses him of seduction. As the tragedy unfolds, the maiden to whom the knight actually pledged his love is led by the jealous duchess to believe that her lover has betrayed her. In the end, the maiden dies of heartbreak, the knight kills himself in sorrow, and the duke kills the duchess for her deception.
This low-relief panel, one side of a small jewelry box known as a coffret, features four scenes from a courtly love poem. The first scene shows a knight defending his honor to his duke after the duchess falsely accuses him of seduction. As the tragedy unfolds, the maiden to whom the knight pledged his love is led by the jealous duchess to believe that her lover has betrayed her. In the end, the maiden dies of heartbreak, the knight kills himself in sorrow, and the duke kills the duchess for her deception. During a period in history filled with plagues, religious schisms, and war, an escape into such a story was a welcome respite—not unlike our modern escape into television romance and novels.
This low-relief panel, one side of a small jewelry box known as a coffret, features four scenes from the courtly love poem The Chatelaine of Vergy. The first scene shows a knight defending his honor to his duke after the duchess falsely accuses him of seduction. As the tragedy unfolds, the maiden to whom the knight actually pledged his love is led by the jealous duchess to believe that her lover has betrayed her. In the end, the maiden dies of heartbreak, the knight kills himself in sorrow, and the duke kills the duchess for her deception.
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