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Reliquary Bust of Saint Juliana

Circle of Giovanni di Bartolo Italian
ca. 1376
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 14
In 1376, the skull of Saint Juliana, the gift of the brothers of San Domenico to the Perugian convent dedicated to the saint, was carried in procession and received by Abbess Gabriella. This beguiling image cradled the relic and was placed in an elaborate tabernacle, where it remained until its sale in the late nineteenth century. The band along the lower edge of the bust is inscribed, on the front: [C]APUD SANTE IULIANE [head of Saint Juliana] and, on the back: ROMA. A. D[OMINO]. GUILLE[LMO] [Rome, year of Our Lord, William]. The engraving is not very accomplished, and the mention of a "William," arguably a patron, remains unexplained.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Reliquary Bust of Saint Juliana
  • Artist: Circle of Giovanni di Bartolo (Italian, active 1364–1404)
  • Date: ca. 1376
  • Culture: Italian
  • Medium: Copper, gilding, gesso, and tempera paint
  • Dimensions: Overall: 11 1/16 x 9 x 8 3/8 in. (28.1 x 22.9 x 21.3 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Copper
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1961
  • Object Number: 61.266
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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