French, Possibly Normandy, mid-15th century or later

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York;

New York, Sotheby's, 10 May 1985, lot 30.

According to his hagiography, Saint Denis was a third-century bishop of Paris who was beheaded for his missionary work. Some accounts even claim that after his execution he miraculously picked up his severed head and carried it for several miles, continuing to proclaim his faith. After his death, Saint Denis was greatly venerated, eventually becoming the patron saint of both the city of Paris and greater France.

The apertures on the saint's ornate mitre were likely inlaid with glass or paste jewels, which would have produced a vivid and holy image.