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Sunday Cross, 1450–75.
Basel.
Raised, cast, chased, and gilded silver, with various materials.
Römisch-Katholische Kirche Basel-Stadt. (Sankt Clara).
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The Treasury of Basel Cathedral
February 28, 2001–June 3, 2001
Special Exhibition Galleries, adjacent to the New Greek Galleries, 1st floor
The medieval treasury of Basel Cathedral miraculously survived an earthquake, wars, iconoclasm, and the Protestant Reformation, only to be dispersed as a result of political division in the early 19th century. Based on inventories and other documents, nearly all the objects belonging to the treasury have been identified and, today, over half are in the Historisches Museum Basel while the remaining are in museum collections in Amsterdam, Berlin, London, New York, Paris, St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Zurich. This exhibition unites more than 75 of these splendid ecclesiastical and secular objects, the vast majority of which have never before traveled to the United States. The works date from the early 11th through the early 16th century, spanning the Ottonian, Romanesque, and Gothic periods up to the Reformation. Most are of gold and silver—many encrusted with precious stones, rock crystal, antique gems, or translucent enamels—but there are also actual relics, as well as textiles and objects of rock crystal, bronze, and wood on display, including the original storage cupboard.
The exhibition is made possible in part by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
Additional support has been provided by Pro Helvetia, Arts Council of Switzerland. The exhibition has been organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Historisches Museum Basel, Switzerland. An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The exhibition catalogue is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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