Pavement tile: leaping deer, Cl. 23972 © GrandPalaisRmn / Mathieu Rabeau

Pavement tile: leaping deer

Description

On display - room 19a

13th - 14th centuries

High Middle Ages

The deer was one of the most popular motifs for pavement tiles during the mediaeval period. Original by its embossed composition, the leaping deer is shown here according to a representation model widely known in Champagne and the North. 

The tile was to be inserted into a wildlife decor with other animals or alluding to the world of hunting, with dogs or horses chasing it. It therefore belongs to a typology that enjoyed great success in floor designs. The lack of provenance leads to caution regarding its dating. However, the stamping technique allows it to be dated to around 1300.
 

From one artwork to another

Head of the king of Judah No. 6, Notre-Dame de Paris, Cl. 22988 © GrandPalaisRmn / René-Gabriel Ojeda

Heads of the kings of Judah

First half of the 13th century