Priest holding a Reliquary
Unknown Artist
third quarter 13th century
Medium
Copper gilt; reliquary vessel: silver, champleve enamel, glass, textile wrapped relic
Dimensions
Overall: 10 3/4 x 5 3/16 x 4 5/8 in. (27.3 x 13.1 x 11.8 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Copper
Culture
North French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1947
Accession Number
47.101.49
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the medieval world of 13th-century northern France with this exquisite copper gilt sculpture, *Priest Holding a Reliquary*, in the third quarter of century (ca. 1250–1275). Housed in The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this10¾-inch-tall figure depicts a solemn priest cradling a precious reliquary vessel containing a textile-wrapped relic, visible through glass. Reliquaries like this were vital in Gothic-era Christianity, serving as ornate containers for saints' bones or holy remnants, which drew pilgrims and inspired devotion during processions and masses. The artistry ...