Reliquary of Mary Magdalene, 14th and 15th century Made in Tuscany, Italy Gilded copper, gilded silver, rock crystal, verre églomisé; Overall 22 x 9 3/8 x 7 15/16 in. (55.9 x 23.8 x 20.2 cm), roundel 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm) Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.504)
While their choir books were richly colored, Franciscan communities frequently chose more somber verre églomisé, a reverse-glass painting technique, for reliquaries. Although the palette of the glass medallion that crowns the reliquary is limited, the overall effect of crystal and gilded metal is sumptuous. The relic, enclosed in rock crystal, is said to be Mary Magdalene's tooth.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Crucifixion
Nativity
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Reliquary of Mary Magdalene
Date:14th and 15th century
Geography:Made in Tuscany, Italy
Culture:North Italian
Medium:Gilded copper, gilded silver, rock crystal, verre églomisé
Dimensions:22 x 9 3/8 x 7 15/16in. (55.9 x 23.8 x 20.2cm) Other (roundel): 3 3/8in. (8.6cm) Other (Rock crystal vessel): 4 5/16 × 2 3/16 × 1 5/8 in. (10.9 × 5.5 × 4.1 cm)
Classification:Metalwork-Copper
Credit Line:Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number:17.190.504
J. C. Robinson, England (sold 1907); J. Pierpont Morgan (American), London and New York (1907–1917)
Die Nieuwe Kerk. "The Way to Heaven: Relic Veneration in the Middle Ages," December 16, 2000–April 22, 2001.
Knoxville, TN. Frank H. McClung Museum, University of Tennessee. "Sacred Beauty: A Millennium of Religious Art, 600–1600," September 7, 2007–January 6, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Choirs of Angels: Painting in Italian Choir Books, 1300-1500," November 25, 2008–April 12, 2009.
Cleveland. Cleveland Museum of Art. "Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe," October 17, 2010–January 17, 2011.
Baltimore. Walters Art Museum. "Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe," February 13, 2011–May 15, 2011.
Hartford, Conn. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. "Morgan: Mind of the Collector," September 23–December 31, 2017.
Breck, Joseph, and Meyric R. Rogers. The Pierpont Morgan Wing: A Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1929. p. 128.
Murray, Maria D. "Reverse-painted and Gilded Glass Through the Ages." The Connoisseur 180 (July 1972). pp. 204–5, fig. 3a–c.
Wixom, William D. "Eleven Additions to the Medieval Collection." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 66, no. 3 (March-April 1979). pp. 141–42, 151.
Hayward, Jane. Glass in the Collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1982). pp. 14–15, fig. 9.
Husband, Timothy B., and Charles T. Little. Europe in the Middle Ages. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. no. 116, pp. 124–125.
Gaeta Bertelà, Giovanna, and Beatrice Paolozzi Strozzi, ed. Arti del Medio Evo e del Rinascimento: Omaggio ai Carrand, 1889–1989. Florence: Museo Nazionale del Bargello, 1989. p. 396.
Howard, Kathleen, ed. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. 2nd ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994. no. 38, p. 387.
van Os, Henk. The Way to Heaven: Relic Veneration in the Middle Ages. Baarn, the Netherlands: De Prom, 2000. pp. 152–155.
Strouse, Jean. "J. Pierpont Morgan, Financier and Collector." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 57, no. 3 (Winter 2000). pp. 14–15, fig. 13, 14.
Carboni, Stefano, and Timothy B. Husband. "Ars Vitraria: Glass in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Medieval Art and the Cloisters." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 59, no. 1 (Summer 2001). p. 36.
Neff, Amy. "Christianity." In Sacred Beauty: A Millennium of Religious Art, 600–1600. Occasional Paper, Vol. 19. Knoxville: Frank H. McClung Museum, University of Tennessee, 2007. pp. 13, 15, ill. p. 13.
Neff, Amy. "Christianity." In Sacred Beauty: A Millennium of Religious Art, 600-1600. Knoxville: Frank H. McClung Museum, University of Tennessee, 2007. pp. 13–15.
Bagnoli, Martina, Holger A. Klein, C. Griffith Mann, and James Robinson, ed. Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe. Cleveland, Baltimore, and London: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010. no. 110, pp. 196–197.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can now connect to the most up-to-date data and images for more than 470,000 artworks in The Met collection. As part of The Met’s Open Access program, the data is available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Baldassare degli Embriachi (Italian, active 1390–1409) (Workshop)
ca. 1400–1409
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world, encompassing the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance.
