Crowned “M” Brooch

The Crowned M is an equivocal brooch – the letter M may refer to the Blessed Virgin, or it may stand for Minne – courtly love. The crown, of course, is appropriate for either. The brooch we copied, dated 1375-1425, hast the inscription AMOVRS, although it is held in the collection of the Catharijneconvent in Utrecht.

Because of the multi-valency and the importance of both possible meanings, there are a great many extant examples of medieval M brooches, in both precious and base metals. There are also an array of obscene M-shaped brooches which parody the “nice” ones. We offer two: Mr. M and the KingDing.