Mirror Case: Hunting with a Falcon

ca. 1330-1350

Mirror cases decorated with scenes from courtly literature were often given as presents by lovers and enjoyed great popularity with ladies of the court in the 14th century. Here we see four figures riding in a wood: a gentleman with a falcon on his wrist, apparently embracing a lady who feeds another hawk, a servant blowing a horn and a young woman holding a lure slightly in front. The combination of the themes of the lovers’ ride and the hunting party with falcons was one of the commonest metaphors of amorous pursuit in medieval texts.

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