chasse reliquary

chasse reliquary , mid 1200s

Where object was made: Limoges, France

Material/technique: copper; champlevé enamel; gilding; oak wood; glass

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 15.8 x 19.8 x 6.4 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 6 5/16 x 7 13/16 x 2 1/2 in

Credit line: Museum purchase

Accession number: 1954.0121

On display: Michaelis Gallery

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The Object Feels

This church-shaped object is a 3D printed replica modeled after a reliquary, a container used to hold sacred items associated with a saint. Reliquaries typically occupied an important place in churches or cathedrals, typically behind the main altar or an altar in a side chapel. The original container, currently on display in the upstairs exhibition The Object Speaks, is made of gilt copper and is richly decorated with enamel and glass insets that could have originally been precious jewels. The gable ends are engraved with full-length standing figures (identified as saints) with blue circular enamel decorations in between. The top crest of the object is perforated with keyhole shaped openings that echo the lock below, which is intended to safeguard the holy objects contained inside the reliquary.

The Object Speaks

The word “chasse” refers to the box-like or house-like form of this reliquary, which was originally meant to resemble a tomb or church. Reliquaries hold relics, which are the bodily remains or personal effects of holy figures, or the remnants of holy items. Reliquaries sometimes take the form of the relics they contain, such as a reliquary shaped like an arm that would have been custom-made by a metalsmith. However, chasse reliquaries served as a more affordable, all-purpose option for Christians who sought shrines for their devotional relics. The city of Limoges, positioned along the pilgrim route leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, produced many enameled chasse reliquaries for travelers to buy.