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Frame for a Triptych
Maker: Unknown
Silver frame, partly gilt, with two engraved and enamelled trefoil-shaped plaques in the side wings, backed by red velvet, wood and painted metal plaques.
When closed the frame is of five-sided gable shape with two hinged wings on one side, which open out to reveal a central traceried window with two trefoil-headed arches, under a quatrefoil in a circle, flanked by wings with single trefoil-headed arches with a smaller enamelled trefoil in a circle above. The frame is of silver, with gilt tracery inside, and on the exterior within the each section of the frame, a wooden backing covered by metal plaques painted pinkish-red, red, green, and white, and lined on the interior with red velvet. The two trefoil plaques are of silver engraved, and enamelled in translucent dark blue, green, and probably mulberry. The trefoil on the left is decorated with a beardless saint holding a palm in his right hand and probably, a large book. There may be another smaller figure or an unidentifiable object on the right. The trefoil on the right is decorated with a bearded saint holding a book in his left hand and raising his right in benediction. The metal cover within the silver frame has a pinkish-red ground overlaid by a darker red trellis with white spots at regular intervals, enclosing a green cross with foliated terminals. On the back the decoration does not come up to the edge, and there is a row of closely spaced pinholes along all the edges. On the left wing when closed there is a silver stud 4 cm up from the bottom, and on the other wing, a mark where another was situated.
History note: Hollingworth Magniac (1786-1867), Colworth, Bedfordshire; Charles Magniac; sold Christie’s, 2,4-8 and 11-15 July 1892, Catalogue of the renowned collection of works of art chiefly formed by the late Hollingworth Magniac, Esq. (known as the Colworth Collection), Day 4, p. 93, lot 337, sold to Frank McClean for £7.17.6.
Frank McClean Bequest
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1904) by McClean, Frank
14th Century
Circa
1300
CE
-
1400
CE
Circa
1800
CE
-
1900
CE
In the Magniac Collection Catalogue the frame was dated to the 15th century, but Dalton considered it to be 14th century, and French. Dalton (1912) considered that the painted outer cover was modern, and the velvet lining is obviously so.
Metal Backing
composed of
paint
( dull pinkish-red, darker red, green, and white)
Lining
composed of
velvet
( red)
Trefoil
composed of
enamel
( translucent blue, green, mulberry)
Back
composed of
wood
copper alloy
Frame
composed of
gold
silver
At Centre
Height 18.7 cm
Closed
Width 10.6 cm
Open
Width 21 cm
Backing
Silver
Trefoils
Inscription present: mainly illegible
Inscription present: Circular white paper label printed in black with MAGNIAC/ COLLECTION in a circle between concentric circles and in the middle hand-written in faded black ink’‘337’
Accession number: M.40-1904
Primary reference Number: 156426
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Frame for a Triptych" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/156426 Accessed: 2024-11-17 10:55:54
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/156426
|title=Frame for a Triptych
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-17 10:55:54|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-156426
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<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa20/M_40_1904_20_281_29.jpg"
alt="Frame for a Triptych"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Frame for a Triptych</figcaption>
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</div>
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