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Plaque with a Bishop

A work made of gilt copper, champlevé enamel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gilt copper, champlevé enamel.

Date:

1180/1200

Artist:

Follower of Nicholas of Verdun
(French [Lorraine] or Mosan, active 1181–1205)

About this artwork

This plaque—the finest example of medieval enameling in the Art Institute’s collection—most likely formed the right half of an arch on a reliquary shrine. The bishop represented here holds a model of a church that he has had constructed in his covered right hand, symbolizing the sacred nature of this gift to God. Due to its refined style, scholars have drawn comparisons between this plaque and those of the famous Klosterneuburg retable, which was produced by the artist Nicholas of Verdun in 1181. It has also been suggested that this plaque depicts Archbishop Bruno of Cologne (921–965) holding a model of the Church of Saint Pantaleon in that city. At the very least, it is a remarkable example of the virtuosity of goldsmiths working for wealthy ecclesiastical foundations in the valleys of the Rhine and Meuse rivers during this era.

Status

On View, Gallery 236

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Nicholas of Verdun

Title

Plaque with a Bishop

Place

Germany (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1175–1225

Medium

Gilt copper, champlevé enamel

Dimensions

15.2 × 5.6 cm (6 × 2 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Kate S. Buckingham Endowment

Reference Number

1943.88

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/46308/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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