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Door and Frame
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This elaborately carved door and frame was intended for use in a protected interior space as suggested by the delicate open tracery above and its use of polychromy. Though its original context is unknown, the door's placement may have been within either a domestic or ecclesiastical building. The inscription in Old French— Mal vit qui ne mande —is enigmatic and has been suggested to translate roughly as "He lives badly who does not ask." The source of the inscription is unclear but may have been a proverb or motto current during the time.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineDoor and Frame, late 1400s. France, late 15th century. Oak with traces of polychromy; overall: 278.9 x 104.8 x 14 cm (109 13/16 x 41 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1916.2051
