# The Central Motif of the Shield

This central medallion, adorned with a rosette of interwoven acanthus leaves and encircled by a beaded border (grènetis), provides a valuable clue for tracing the origins of the model books used in the construction of the cloister of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux.

This distinctive motif appears in almost identical forms on other contemporary works, such as the shrine of Saint Heribert of Deutz, created in Cologne around 1160–1170, or in contemporary manuscripts from Troyes attributed to the Master of the Bible des Capucins. It thus reflects the circulation of artists and their designs in the 12th century.

The Decoration of the Shrine of Saint Heribert of Deutz
Engraving from Kunstdenkmäler des christlichen Mittelalters in den Rheinlanden,
1859, University and State Library Düsseldorf, URN.urn:nbn:de:hbz:061:1-118466

Ornamental Initial from a Manuscript from Troyes
Médiathèque Jacques-Chirac, Troyes Champagne Métropole,
ms. 92-2 f. 57, Photo © Marc Gil