Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Reliquary Shrine of Saint Martial
(Medieval Europe )
The scene depicted on the roof of this chasse is ambiguous, lacking identifying inscriptions or attributes. The figure whose arm Christ grasps has been identified with several saints, including Martial of Limoges, a popular regional saint who was believed to have raised people from the dead. While the image might celebrate that event, it could also commemorate Christ's Harrowing of Hell, when Christ, following his Resurrection, rescued the virtuous souls imprisoned there who had died before the Incarnation. It is possible that the scene's ambiguity is unintentional, but a certain degree of flexibility might have enabled the object to serve in different devotional contexts.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Ottile Goldschmidt-Przibram, Brussels, by purchase; Sale, Frederik Muller & Cie., Amsterdam, June 19, 1924, no. 132; Brimo de Laroussilhe, Paris [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Henri Daguerre, Paris [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1928, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2010-2011 | Treasures of Heaven. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; The British Museum, London. |
| 1999-2000 | Vive la France! French Treasures from the Middle Ages to Monet. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984-1985 | Reliquaries and Ritual: Medieval Objects of Devotion. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1961 | A Medieval Treasury from Southern Collections. Ackland Art Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill. |
Geographies
France, Limoges (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 9 x W at top finials: 9 1/16 x D: 3 5/8 in. (22.9 x 23.02 x 9.21 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1928
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
44.119
