Artwork
Trefoil-shaped Tracery Light
Trefoil-shaped Tracery Light is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1350 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work presents a stylised light motif rendered in a trefoil configuration, comprising three rounded lobes set against a deep black field.
About this work
Technique & Style
Created in 1350, the Trefoil-shaped Tracery Light is classified as a painting. The work is executed on a support measuring 24.1 cm in height and 26 cm in width. Its formal structure is defined by a trefoil shape, a stylistic element characteristic of Gothic tracery. The piece remains anonymous in terms of artist attribution.
History & Provenance
The sources do not provide further detail on its commission, earlier ownership, or chain of custody prior to its accession into the museum's holdings.
The Trefoil-shaped Tracery Light dates to circa 1350 and is classified as a painting of anonymous authorship. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recorded under accession number 68.224.8. The sources do not provide further detail on its commission, earlier ownership, or chain of custody prior to its accession into the museum's holdings.
The Trefoil-shaped Tracery Light is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its accession number is 68.224.8. The work was created around 1350 and is classified as an anonymous painting.
Source data indicates the piece is currently located at the museum, though no specific exhibition history is detailed in the provided records.
Overview
The work presents a stylised light motif rendered in a trefoil configuration, comprising three rounded lobes set against a deep black field. Central to the composition is a red disc containing a yellow floral form, outlined in black, while the flanking lobes each contain a blue disc with simple leaf‑and‑stem motifs, also bordered in black. The stark background accentuates the vivid hues, producing a restrained yet striking visual balance.
Subject & Meaning
The painting’s focal point is a three‑part tracery light, a form traditionally associated with ornamental architectural patterns. By isolating the trefoil shape and populating it with elemental botanical symbols, the artist suggests a synthesis of natural and constructed order, inviting contemplation of harmony between geometric structure and organic growth.
Context
Although specific historical details are absent, the work’s aesthetic aligns with mid‑20th‑century movements that explored the reduction of imagery to fundamental shapes and colour fields. Its emphasis on ornamental motifs reinterpreted through a contemporary visual language situates it within a broader dialogue between traditional decorative motifs and modern abstraction.
Artist & collection
