In contrast to the spare and monochromatic ambiance of many medieval churches today, religious experience in the Middle Ages often was shaped by the glittering objects made of gold and silver and adorned with precious stones that provided a focus to the liturgy and to the veneration of the saints. Treasuries were integral to the identity of medieval cities. Over time, however, because of their material value, most of these treasuries were pillaged and their contents often melted down into bullion. An exception was the Treasury of Basel Cathedral, which miraculously withstood wars, an earthquake, and iconoclastic uprisings, only to be dispersed in the early nineteenth century as a result of political division.

This lavishly illustrated volume includes reliquary crosses of gold, enameled and bejeweled; censers, chalices, and altar furnishings of engraved silver; reliquaries in the shape of caskets, figures, and in imitation of the human form; exquisite textiles; and Eucharistic vessels. Each of the more than seventy-five examples is fully discussed and illustrated in color, in entries augmented by relevant bibliographic and provenance histories. The four introductory essays place the works in context by discussing the history of Basel from the eleventh to the sixteenth century, as well as the construction of the cathedral and the formation and history of the treasury.

182 pages, 150 illustrations (including 105 in full color), 8 1/2 in. x 11 in. Cloth.

Original price $45

The Treasury of Basel Cathedral
05-007240
Member Price: $22.45 each
Non-Member Price: $24.95 each


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