Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index



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  • Title: Wild Woman Holding a Shield with a Lion's Head
  • Creator: Martin Schoungauer
  • Description: In the early Middle Ages, wild women had monstrous connotations. However towards the end of the period, they came to be regarded postively as family-oriented figures in tune with nature. The faithful companion of the wild woman was the wild man, a courageous and sexually voracious creature who could only be tamed by the spiritual ‘high’ love of his lady wife. Wild people were not regarded as humans in a traditional sense because they eschewed civil behavior, acted according to their impulses, and did not believe in God. However, medieval people accepted them as having a mostly human nature, which was expressed through their upright walk and lack of animal-hybrid qualities. Wild women were entirely covered with fur, including their genitalia, except for their hands, face, feet, and breasts which were bare. We see an examples of such qualities in this engraving. Here, a wild woman wearing a seeded, flower crown sits on a rock and supports a heraldic shield engraved with the image of a lion’s head. In her other arm, she holds a nursing baby who nestles against her side. The presence of the flower crown and the heraldic shield in this engraving represent important facets of the wild woman’s identity. The wild woman was believed to be an exemplary wife and mother, and the seeds represent her fertility and fecundity. The healthy child at her breast attests to these reproductive capabilities as well as her child-rearing skills. Frequently, wild men and wild women were depicted as heraldic supporters, and the shield at her side symbolizes her strength and role as an arms-bearer.
  • Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Rights: Open access
  • Subject (See Also): Breast Feeding Heraldry Infants Mothers Shields Wild Woman
  • Geographic Area: Germany
  • Century: 15
  • Date:
  • Related Work: Schongauer designed ten of these plates with armorial shields including a wild man: http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/336194?rpp=20&pg=1&rndkey=20131124&ao=on&ft=*&deptids=9&who=Martin+Schongauer&pos=19
  • Current Location: New York City, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 28.26.9
  • Original Location: Germany
  • Artistic Type (Category): Digital Images; Prints;
  • Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Engravings
  • Donor:
  • Height/Width/Length(cm): 7.9 cm/7.9 cm/
  • Inscription:
  • Related Resources: Grossinger, Christa. Picturing Women in Late Medieval and Renaissance Art. Manchester University Press. New York. 1997. Pgs. 80-87; Kirby, Steven D. " Juan Ruiz's Serranas: The Archpriest-pilgrim and Medieval Wild Women." Hispanic Studies in Honor of Alan D. Deyermond: A North American Tribute. Ed. John S. Miletich. Pp. 324. Madison: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, 1986. Pgs. 151-169.