ca. 1200
Town Cologne,
Germany
Germany
Object qualities
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Objectinterior decoration: Arch
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Author of the objectNicholas of Verdun and Cologne Followers
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Type of arts & crafts
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MediumChamplevГ© enamel on gilded copper
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SizeOverall: 4 1/4 x 11 x 1/8 in. (10.8 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm) band width: 1 1/16 x 1/8 in. (2.7 x 0.3 cm)
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Geography detailsMade in
Town Cologne,
Germany -
Country today
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Dateca. 1200
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CultureGerman
Source of information
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Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
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Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
Description
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A massive, golden shrine in Cologne Cathedral contains relics believed to be of
the biblical Three Kings who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to
the infant Jesus. The relics were acquired in Milan in 1164, and the goldsmith
Nicholas of Verdun was commissioned to create one of the most ambitious
reliquaries in Europe. This tiny arch, which comes from this important shrine,
was removed during nineteenth-century restorations.
