Plaque, probably from a Reliquary Shrine (c. 1180–1190): Art, History and Details

Plaque, probably from a Reliquary Shrine (c. 1180–1190) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This enamel plaque has been linked to the original decoration of the Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral, attributed to Nicholas of Verdun, one of the most important goldsmiths of the late 12th century.

Object facts

• Title: Plaque, probably from a Reliquary Shrine
• Date: c. 1180–1190
• Culture: Germany, Rhine Valley, Cologne, Romanesque period, 12th century
• Type: Enamel
• Technique: gilded copper, champlevé and cloisonné enamel
• Dimensions: Overall: 4.3 x 8.9 cm (1 11/16 x 3 1/2 in.)
• Collection: MED - Romanesque
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1953.275

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Hoffmann, Konrad, Florens Deuchler, Metropolitan Museum of Art The Year 1200: A Centennial Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 12 through May 10, 1970. New York, N.Y.: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970.
• Kemper, Dorothee. Die Goldschmiedearbeiten am Dreikönigenschrein: Bestand und Geschichte seiner Restaurierungen im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert : mit Beiträgen zu Materialanalysen und Herstellungstechniken. Köln : Verlag Kölner Dom, 2014.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.