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A seated figure of Christ is positioned in a background of colorful, decorative shapes

A golden figure of a bearded, robed man is positioned in the middle of the plaque. His left hand holds what appears to be a book, and his right hand has two fingers extended. Around his head is a golden halo with three red rays. He is surrounded by many decorative shapes in shades of green, blue, red, and navy, including a large, vertical eye-like border, petal-like shapes, and leafy filigree in each corner. The background is dark navy.

Gallery Text

Some of the most precious and finely wrought objects of the Middle Ages were made for use in the liturgical service of the church. Crosses and censers were carried in procession, while reliquaries, caskets, and shrines held the remains of saints or objects associated with them. Because of the sacred function of these objects, they were made of the most valuable materials available: ivory, bronze, enamel, rock crystal, and gold. Through their hallowed contents or their liturgical function, these objects provided access to the divine, yet they were also displays of wealth and craftsmanship. Censers and vessels were cast in bronze, while other objects, such as caskets and reliquaries, were assembled from a wooden core and covered with ivory, enamel, and gilded metal. Often, if such costly materials were out of reach, wood or other modest materials were painted and gilded to resemble them.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1957.212
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
Christ in Majesty
Classification
Plaques
Work Type
plaque
Date
1200-1210
Places
Creation Place: Europe, France, Limoges
Culture
French
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/222178

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2440, Medieval Art
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Champlevé enamel on gilded copper
Technique
Champlevé
Dimensions
17 x 14.8 x 1 cm (6 11/16 x 5 13/16 x 3/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • stamp: reverse of mount, stamped: [French export authority]: DOUANES / DE / PARIS
  • exhibition label: [1969], reverse of mount, typewritten: S.L. 69.3 / 1200 SHOW

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Jacques Seligman] sold; to Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Isidor Straus, New York, NY October 13, 1926; Mrs. Jesse Isidor Straus (1936-1957) gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1970

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Mrs. Jesse Isidor Straus in memory of her husband, Jesse Isidor Straus, Class of 1893
Accession Year
1957
Object Number
1957.212
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The face of Christ is cast in relief; the rest of the design is incised in a flat plane.

Publication History

  • Loan Exhibition of Religious Art for the Benefit of The Basilique of the Sacre Coeur of Paris, exh. cat., Jacques Seligmann & Co. (New York, 1927), cat. no. XXX, reproduced
  • Rudolf M. Riefstahl, "Two Medieval French Enamels", Fogg Art Museum Annual Report, 1957-1958, Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1958), pp. 22-28
  • "The Year 1200", The Cloisters Studies in Medieval Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY, 1970), vols. 1 and 2, cat. no. 147, pp. 142-142, repr.
  • A Medieval Miscellany: Romanesque and Early Gothic Metalwork, exh. cat., Art Galleries, University of California (Santa Barbara, CA, 1974), pp. 8-9; no. 6, pp. 17-18, repr. in b/w p. 30

Exhibition History

  • Loan Exhibition of Religious Art for the Benefit of the Basilique of the Sacre Coeur of Paris, Jacques Seligmann Galleries, 03/01/1927 - 04/01/1927
  • Unidentified Exhibition, Franconia College, 1964, Franconia College, 03/01/1964 - 03/31/1964
  • Medieval Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Jewett Arts Center, Wellesley, 11/21/1970 - 02/07/1971
  • A Medieval miscellany, Romanesque and early Gothic metalwork, Art Galleries, University of California, Santa Barbara, 02/14/1974 - 02/28/1974
  • The Heavenly Twins: Edward W. Forbes, Paul J. Sachs and the Building of a Collection, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/23/1995 - 12/17/1995
  • Re-View: S422-423 Western Art of the Middle Ages & Renaissance, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 08/16/2008 - 06/18/2011
  • 32Q: 2440 Medieval, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu