5
Norman: relics
Reliquary Casket with Scenes from the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket, c. 1173–1180; English or German; Silver with niello, gemstone.
This precious silver box was created to contain a relic of the martyred English saint Thomas Becket. Saint Thomas was the archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170, and he is perhaps best known for his struggles with King Henry II of England over the separation between the rights of the monarch and the rights of the church. Thomas was killed by four knights of Henry's court in Canterbury Cathedral at twilight on December 29, 1170.
The long sides of the reliquary display a brief narrative of the saint's martyrdom. On one side, the lower rectangular panel shows the four knights assaulting Thomas, while on the triangular lid above, an angel makes a sign of blessing over the event. On the other side, the lower panel shows Thomas's body lying in state, while above, an angel cradles a small child, the symbol of the saint's soul as it rises to heaven. This reliquary is dated to the years immediately following Thomas's canonization in 1173, making it one of the earliest objects commemorating his sainthood.
Altar Cross, 12th century; English; Walrus ivory.
This cross has traditionally been attributed to the Abbey of Bury Saint Edmunds in eastern England in the middle of the twelfth century. Five pieces of walrus tusk, or “morse ivory”, are ingeniously fitted together to form the whole. Some ninety-two figures and ninety-eight inscriptions present a complex theological program, the sort one might find on the facade of a cathedral, though here it appears on an object one can literally hold in the hand.
Prominent among the inscriptions are several strong invectives against Jews. Though it is impossible to know precisely who commissioned this piece and with what aims, the cross certainly offers some indication of the anti-Semitism prevalent in England at this time. Indeed, by the end of the thirteenth century, Jews were expelled from the country.
Bishop Chess Piece, 12th century; English; Walrus ivory.
This twelfth-century ivory chess piece is carved in the form of an enthroned bishop who wears a mitre, holds a crosier, and makes a gesture of blessing with two raised fingers. Two attendants crouch beside him, rendered on a much smaller scale to suggest lower status. The kneeling figure on his right, wearing a monastic haircut called a tonsure, gestures to an open book. The figure on the opposite side rests on his staff, head in hand.
The game of chess was probably brought to England by the Vikings, although it first appeared in India in the sixth century and was known in Europe as early as the tenth century. Chess was quite popular in medieval England, particularly among royalty, such as kings Henry I (r. 1100–1135), Henry II (r. 1154–89), and John (r. 1199–1216). The Museum's chess piece is similar to another set of medieval figurines known as the Lewis Chessmen, now in the British Museum. These are also made from walrus ivory, and they date to the mid-twelfth century, but they are carved in a more abstract style.
Liturgical Comb, ca. 1200–1210; English; Ivory.
Liturgical combs were used in preparing the priest for the Mass. Although they existed throughout the Middle Ages, this is the only comb known that is decorated with scenes from the life and martyrdom of Thomas Becket. On one side is the rarely depicted episode of Henry II informing Becket that he will become the archbishop of Canterbury. In the adjacent scenes are the boat that will take Thomas on his final mission to England (right) and a church facade (left), which is likely an allusion to Canterbury Cathedral.
The opposite side shows the martyrdom of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170. The half-circles flanking the event contain an angel at the altar of martyrdom (left) and a devil holding a book (right). Thus, good is correlated with the Church and with Becket, and evil with the king and his knights.
Shoe, 1300–1450; Poulaine of brown archaeological leather.
This shoe, part of a larger collection of objects excavated from an archaeological site on the Thames River in London, provides a glimpse of the fashionable shoe style for men from the fourteenth to the mid-fifteenth century. The poulaine, a long pointed shoe, remained the popular footwear, with its overall length expanding and contracting, for almost 150 years. The poulaine's long, exaggerated toe points were often stuffed with moss or other materials for support. Intentional slashing and embossing of the leather were common decorative embellishments. By the late fifteenth century, the poulaine was superseded by an equally exaggerated style of shoe that was unusually broad across the instep and toe. This style was relatively short-lived, however, and was quickly replaced by a shoe that more closely approximated the natural shape of the foot.
Manuscript Leaf from a Psalter: Agony in the Garden and Betrayal of Christ, ca. 1270; English; vellum, tempera, ink, metal leaf.
This illustrated manuscript leaf comes from an English psalter dating to around 1270. A psalter is a book of psalms from the Old Testament, and this particular example contains Psalms 1 through 80, as well as a calendar. The text of the manuscript is in Latin, and two additional full-page illuminations survive from the book, as well as marginalia and decorated initials. The manuscript might have been made for Queen Eleanor of Provence, who became a nun after the death of her husband, King Henry III of England, in 1272.
The page is divided into two panels depicting scenes from Christ's Passion. The upper panel is occupied by the episode known as the Agony in the Garden, in which Christ kneels in prayer at the far right with his apostles sleeping at the left. In the lower panel, we see the Betrayal of Christ, in which Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss amidst a crowd of soldiers, apostles, and onlookers.
Chasuble, c. 1330–1350; English; Silk and silver-gilt thread and colored silks in underside couching, split stitch, laid-and-couched work, and raised work, with pearls on velvet.
The English were renowned for their embroidery in the Middle Ages. This fragment of opus anglicanum ("English work," as it was called in medieval inventories) is remarkable for the richness of its design and its superb state of preservation. The decoration consists of two cherubim, each atop a wheel from which rays of light emanate; four fleurs-de-lis; and four thistles in three different designs, each motif distributed along a vertical axis. These elements, all embroidered in vibrantly coloured silk and silver-gilt threads, are appliquéd onto the velvet foundation, on which the scrolls and other designs—accented with attached minute silver-gilt rings, or shot—are embroidered directly. The lay of the velvet, the vertical warp and design, and the outline of the fragment indicate that it formed the lower-right quadrant of a chasuble, worn by a priest during the celebration of Mass.
Virgin and Child, 1290–1300; English; perhaps made in London; ivory.
Pnce enclosed within an ivory or perhaps silver tabernacle, this ivory statuette of the Virgin and Child is a rare surviving example from 13th-century England. It was used as a personal devotional object, the statues were made at a time when the cult of the Virgin had reached its peak of popularity. The composition emphasizes the reciprocal tenderness between the mother and child: the Virgin turns slightly to her left to face the now-missing infant Christ. The rich, reddish brown surface may be the result of staining with walnut oil or some other agent.
Patrusiak