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Reliquary Monstrance with a Tooth of Saint John the Baptist

A work made of silver gilt, rock crystal, textile, and human remains.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver gilt, rock crystal, textile, and human remains.

Date:

1433; container: 900/1200

Artist:

Weddeghe Velstede (German, active 1432-73)
container: Egyptian

About this artwork

This reliquary uses the form of a miniature Gothic tower. It makes an elaborate architectural frame for a transparent rock-crystal vessel holding a relic that is identified as a tooth of Saint John the Baptist by an inscription along the base of the reliquary. Rock crystal was highly prized in the medieval Islamic world. Considered a precious stone, it was used to create a number of luxurious secular objects, including this vessel, which was probably originally intended to be a container for fragrant oils.

Status

On View, Gallery 236

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Weddeghe Velstede

Title

Reliquary Monstrance with a Tooth of Saint John the Baptist

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.

1433

Medium

Silver gilt, rock crystal, textile, and human remains

Dimensions

45.8 × 14.7 cm (18 × 5 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Chauncey McCormick

Reference Number

1962.91

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/88419/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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