Description
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.
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