Hi everyone

While I was painting motifs of the Codex Manesse on a shield I intend to use for HEMA (for which I don't worry about authenticity), I realized I don't know whether painting on the insides of shields was done historically in the medieval period. On Pinterest and various other platforms, I've seen it being done in modern reconstructions (a lot), but that doesn't necessitate that they are following extant historical examples.

So, was painting the inside of shields with motifs, mottos and images done in the European Middle Ages? Are there any surviving examples of this? Can any statement be made about what was most often painted on if it was done?

Best regards
Alex

Alexander,
Interesting question. I can't say for sure about all shields, but at least one surviving shield does not have a painted inside. The shield associated with the funeral achievements of England's Henry V does not show any painting on the back. Instead, the back is covered with (starting nearest to the boards):

-2 layers of coarse undyed brown linen
-a layer of untreated bast fibres (I don't know what this is) of flax
-a layer of undyed raw wool
-a layer of finer, bleached linen
-a layer of blue silk backed by blue-dyed linen, embroidered with gold fleurs-de-lis

There is also "a crimson velvet armpad filled with raw wool, dyed blue." The velvet is embroidered in gold in a pattern evocative of the Navarre coat of arms. The shield is more likely to have belonged to Henry IV, who was married to Joan of Navarre. This is obviously a royal shield and may not be typical.

Just for fun, the front is covered with:

-a layer of bast fibres applied directly to the wood in a bed of chalk and glue
-two layers of coarse brown canvas. The first has a coat of red iron oxide paint; the second has the ground for the painted surface (there is some blue paint remaining, but most is gone are is evidence of the design, through we can assume it was the royal coat of arms. It was repainted for the funeral.

All info is from the recent (and excellent) publication "The Funeral Achievements of Henry V at Westminster Abbey: The Arms and Armour of Death."

I don't know of any surviving bucklers that still have paint. You can find front and back photos of three-cornered shields and targes in collections like

https://www.khm.at/en/objectdb/
https://philamuseum.org/search
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search

An excellent book https://www.sehepunkte.de/2020/02/33424.html

Here is a site about heraldry that lists several surviving shields, and what museum they are in. Possibly the museums might have information about the back side.
https://www.heraldik-wiki.de/wiki/Liste_der_Originalschilde

Admittedly based at looking at hundreds of pictures, rather than deep study, I'd suggest most shields had plain interiors. Perhaps painted or stained, but usually in a single colour.

Although about shield grips and guiges, this article shows a lot of shield interiors from art

https://www.degueulesetdargent.fr/2017/03/02/shield-straps-and-holding-of-the-shield-in-the-early-13th-century/

One of these images does show a pattern on the shield interior (in the section Experimenting) - unfortunately, I've been unable to copy it here. The example is from 1150-1175.