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The Treasury of Basel Cathedral
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Description
The function of this monstrance has been much debated. The inclusion, in the enamels on the foot, of Saint Columban side by side with the Massacre of the Innocents led to the belief that the monstrance held the foot of one of the Holy Innocents (indeed, Columban gave such a relic to Basel—see the foot reliquary). The circular format of the rock crystal and the limited depth of the flat frontal vessel, however, argue that it was intended to display the Host. It is generally accepted that the monstrance was made shortly after the introduction of the Feast of Corpus Christi in Basel in the 1320s. The apostles are shown on the arcade knop both as the teachers of the Word of Christ and as the disciples who accompanied him at the Last Supper. The bust-length apostles in the enamel medallions around the central disk gaze upon or gesture toward the Eucharistic vessel that held the flesh of Christ, underscoring his place as Redeemer of mankind. A remarkable example of goldsmiths' work, exceptional for its clarity of composition and form, richness of detail, accomplished execution, and quality of enameled decoration, the Apostles Monstrance reflects the palpable influence of Strasbourg, a seminal center of artistic creativity: the delicate starlike tracery in the central circle of the gable is a miniaturization of the gable over the north portal on the west face of the Cathedral of Strasbourg.
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Description