Banner Carrier of Beromünster
Emile Gaillard (1821-1902), Paris; his sale, Paris, Paul Chevallier, 17 May 1904, lot no. 677; acquired by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), New York, and installed in his library 1907-9.
The banner carrier is clothed in half armor with one leg in red and one leg in green hose. He is turned to the left and with his right hand he holds a banner with the image of St. Michael slaying the dragon. This is the device of the Abbey of Beromünster as well as the town. He grasps his sword with his left hand. The banner carrier is silhouetted against a blue damascene backdrop and stands on an ochre floor with a grid pattern. To the left and right are sculpted white columns resting on rectangular bases. At the top of the panel are scenes of men playing in a marching band. The representation of a soldier in armor holding the city's banner was a common element of heraldic representation in Switzerland. The man, by the mid sixteenth century, is often silhouetted against colorful neutral backdrops, not a realistic landscape or interior.