✦ German · ca. 1450
A shield that contains a shield
A painted targe carries a smaller armorial shield. Reading the two separately helps us understand the object without settling its disputed family attribution.
Gift of Mrs. Florence Blumenthal, 1925 · CC0. Resized without cropping or recolouring.
Enlarge the photograph ↗✦ Photograph-based observations
Which shield are you describing?
The physical support has a scalloped outline and a deep notch on the viewer’s left. A smaller painted armorial shield appears within it. These are two different outlines, doing two different jobs.
Above the painted shield is a helmet and a separate animal-head ornament. A female figure and scrolling inscription occupy the surrounding space. A description of the field alone would omit much of this object.
What the record tells us
The Met dates this German targe to about 1450 and associates the arms with either the Gottsmann or the related Türriegel family of Franconia. Its curatorial account explains that later overpainting helped preserve the decoration beneath it. The museum also reports traces of Saint Christopher on the leather-lined reverse. That reverse is not the photograph reproduced here. [1]
✦ Editorial interpretation
What follows from the arrangement?
Start with the support, then the painted achievement. The outer object is a shield; the small shield in its decoration is the armorial field; the ornament above the helmet is the crest. Calling every part a crest would discard the relationships that make the composition intelligible.
A digital redrawing could make the small shield perfectly symmetrical and turn its surface into flat yellow and black. That might help a beginner see the composition. It would also remove the irregular contour, aging, background figure, and evidence of the object’s material construction. Keep the photograph alongside any diagram, and explain which question each image answers.
The catalogue’s alternative family attribution is part of the evidence. A confident-looking animal head cannot choose between the two families for us. The useful next question is what dated records or comparative objects would distinguish those possibilities.
Claims and their evidence
| Claim | Evidence | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| The outer shield and painted armorial shield have different outlines. | Front photograph | Visible arrangement; does not identify the bearer. |
| The arms are associated with Gottsmann or Türriegel. | Museum curatorial account [1] | Alternative attribution retained; no new identification. |
| There are traces of Saint Christopher on the reverse. | Museum curatorial account [1] | Reported by the museum; not observable in this front view. |
✦ Your turn
Explain what supports your conclusion.
Write two descriptions: one of the physical object, one of the painted achievement. Then make a claim ledger with three columns: visible in this photograph, reported by the catalogue, and still to be established. Place the family attribution and reverse decoration in the appropriate columns.
Discuss your answer
A strong answer separates the targe’s outline from the painted shield and identifies the crest by its position above the helmet. It keeps both family names and does not claim to have inspected the reverse. To resolve the attribution, propose a dated comparative witness rather than a surname search.
Take the research further
Follow the collection record to its additional reverse photograph. Compare what can actually be seen there with the museum’s description. Record the image identifier and viewing conditions before arguing that a damaged painted trace represents a particular saint.
Return to the related Academy reading ↗Sources and image rights
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Shield for the Field or Tournament (Targe), accession25.26.1. Record consulted 2026-10-09. The date above describes the artifact or photograph, not the publication date of this webpage.
- CC0 — image rights. The individual collection record permits this image’s reuse under CC0. Catalogue prose is summarized in our own words. Image credit: Gift of Mrs. Florence Blumenthal, 1925.
Show the BibTeX citation
@misc{jhheraldry_object-franconian-targe,
author = {{The Metropolitan Museum of Art}},
title = {Shield for the Field or Tournament (Targe) (accession 25.26.1)},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/22876}},
url = {https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/22876},
note = {Original-language museum collection record. Accessed 2026-10-09.}
}