Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Reliquary of the Virgin and Saints
(Medieval Europe )
This type of reliquary, sometimes called "bursa" or "purse-shaped," originated in Germany and Austria in the 13th century. On the back is a long inscription that lists all the relics once contained inside. In the Middle Ages, it was not unusual to combine many relics in one container, thereby increasing the number of saints who could potentially intercede to help answer the prayers of the faithful.
Inscription
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.
Ernest Odiot, Paris; Sale, Chevalier & Mannheim, Paris, April 26-27, 1889, no. 62; Chabrières-Arles, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Joseph Duveen, London [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henri Daguerre, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1922, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2013-2014 | The Art of Empathy: The Cummer Mother of Sorrows in Context. The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Jacksonville. |
| 1996 | Smith College Museum of Art Early Medieval Research. Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton. |
| 1984-1985 | Reliquaries and Ritual: Medieval Objects of Devotion. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1979 | Zeit der Frühen Habsburger: Dome und Klöster, 1279-1379. Stift Klosterneuburg, Klosterneuburg. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Loan Consideration | examined for loan | |
| 1/1/1950 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
| 5/29/1959 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 6/16/1959 | Treatment | repaired |
| 6/1/1960 | Examination | other |
| 4/5/1979 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 11/27/1984 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 6/16/1989 | Treatment | repaired; stabilized |
| 5/7/1996 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 7/25/1996 | Treatment | cleaned; loss compensation |
| 11/6/1998 | Treatment | other |
| 4/24/2006 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 3/3/2011 | Examination | examined for loan |
Geographies
Germany (Place of Origin)
Measurements
5 3/8 x 5 1/2 x 3 1/16 in. (13.6 x 14 x 7.8 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1922
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.
53.27