Based on a print by Marten de Vos , the Plaque with the Personification of Touch was created in c. 1600 in Limoges, France. Using painted enamel on copper and gold, the artist illustrates a woman with uncovered breasts, perhaps hinting at her sexuality, surrounded by religious iconography. In this time period, female saints were depicted in art as highly glorified Christian figures and were often objects of devotion. However, this woman presents the potential dangers of straying from the path of God. Her breasts are fully exposed and serve as the focal point of the piece. Thus, she might be understood to represent the flawed woman, not the idealized woman. The juxtaposition of the dove and the tortoise symbolizes how women during the time period were seen as either weakand docile, like a dove, or dangerous and vicious, like a tortoise. Specifically, the woman’s right arm is positioned upwards as she holds a dove while her left arm hangs downward and touches a tortoise. Additionally, the raising of the right arm and lowering of the left alludes to Christ’s pose in depictions of the Last Judgment. The biblical scenes surrounding the woman also work to encourage the viewer to choose their own fate. On the figure’s right is a scene of Adam and Eve punished for their sin in the Garden of Eden. On the left, the artist includes the scene of Christ’s Second Miraculous Catch of Fish. The Plaque with the Personification of Touch leads the viewer to ponder if they want to give in to the temptation of touch or deny it and remain faithful to God. 

Fleming Landau, Class of 2022 [Bibliography]