Plaque from a Chasse for Relics of Saint Thomas Becket

The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Plaque from a Chasse for Relics of Saint Thomas Becket as enamel (France, Limousin, Limoges, Gothic period, 13th century · 1220–25).

WHY IT’S INTERESTING

On December 29, 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was brutally murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. The immediate popularity of Becket’s cult is reflected in the large number of enamel reliquaries produced in late 12th- and early 13th-century Limoges workshops to house relics associated with the archbishop, who was canonized

SERENDIPITYA little unexpected

FamiliarWeird

A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this enamel as copper: gilded and engraved; champlevé enamel and credits Master G. Alpais (French).

The museum's collection notes: On December 29, 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was brutally murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. The immediate popularity of Becket’s cult is reflected in the large number of enamel reliquaries produced in late 12th- and early 13th-century Limoges workshops to house relics associated with the archbishop, who was canonized only three years after his death. This plaque, which pairs a scene depicting the Martyrdom of Thomas Becket with one of Christ’s Crucifixion, once formed the principal face of such a reliquary.

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

The Cleveland Museum of ArtPlaque from a Chasse for Relics of Saint Thomas Becket

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