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Reliquary in the Form of a Ball

ca. 1160–80
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This may be the only existing reliquary in the form of a ball. The lid construction, with tabs that lock into slots in the base, is also highly unusual. The bust-length images in black on a gold-painted band are of Christ, the Virgin, and six unidentifiable men and women, perhaps saints whose relics were once stored inside. The lower half of the object, with its red encircled rosettes against a black ground, mimics the patterns of luxury silks.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Reliquary in the Form of a Ball
  • Date: ca. 1160–80
  • Culture: German (Hildesheim)
  • Medium: Painted maple
  • Dimensions: Overall: 6 7/16 x 5 15/16 in. (16.3 x 15.1 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork
  • Credit Line: Dom-Museum Hildesheim (136)
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters