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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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