Warrior Fighting a Dragon
1165–1185
- Medium
- gilded copper, champlevé enamel
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 6.5 x 0.3 cm (2 9/16 x 1/8 in.)
- Genre
- enamel
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Anglo-Norman, England or France, Romanesque period, 12th century
About
This gilded copper medallion features an enameled representation of a youthful warrior fighting a winged dragon. As no inscription accompanies the scene, the young hero’s identity remains unknown. It may depict the Arthurian hero Tristan fighting the dragon of Ireland--an epic poem titled Tristan gained popularity at the Plantagenet court of Henry II in England shortly before the medallion was created.