Mazer with scene of St. Margaret of Antioch and her dragon c. 1470 - 1500
silver, metal, relief, sculpture
medieval
silver
metal
relief
sculpture
Dimensions 2 1/4 x 6 x 6 in. (5.72 x 15.24 x 15.24 cm)
This Mazer, a wooden drinking bowl with a silver-gilt rim and central boss, depicts Saint Margaret of Antioch and her dragon. Mazers like this one were popular during the medieval period, used in secular and religious contexts. Margaret was a popular saint whose story emphasized faith and resistance against patriarchal oppression. According to legend, she was swallowed by a dragon but emerged unharmed after making the sign of the cross. The story reflects the era’s complex relationship with female power, couching it within a narrative of male domination. This mazer presents a nuanced narrative: a woman conquering a dragon, a symbolic triumph over adversity. The mazer might spark reflections on medieval attitudes towards women, power, and faith. It invites us to consider how these narratives persist and evolve through history.
Comments
The term "mazer" comes from the German word for "spot," and referring to the spotted maple used to make drinking vessels like this one. The original owner of this mazer held it in such high regard that he had the rim and center medallion mounted with silver, which helped ensure its preservation for more than 500 years. In fact it was the silver, rather than the turned maple, that appealed to Minneapolis silver collector James Ford Bell when he bought the mazer in 1933. It remains the cornerstone of the Institute's English and American silver collection (as well as the museum's earliest form of lathe-turned wood).
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