Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus

Byzantine

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 300

Holes in the lids of sarcophagus-shaped reliquaries, as seen here, allowed the faithful to insert cloth attached to narrow rods into the reliquary in order to absorb the power of the relic through contact. Alternatively, oil was poured through the hole and collected by means of a second hole in the base in containers brought by the faithful.

Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine
Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine
Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine
Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine
Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine
Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine
Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine
Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus, Marble, Byzantine

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.