Chasse of Champagnat

Date: ca. 1150

Geography: Made in Limoges, France

Culture: French

Medium: Copper: engraved and gilt; champlevé enamel: blue-black, medium blue, turquoise, green, red, and white

Dimensions: Overall (Chasse): 4 7/8 x 7 7/16 x 3 3/8 in. (12.4 x 18.9 x 8.5 cm)
Overall (Plaque): 2 3/4 x 7 7/16 x 1/16 in. (7 x 18.9 x 0.2 cm)

Classification: Enamels-Champlevé

Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number: 17.190.685–87, .695, .710–.711

Description

Saint Martial, first bishop of Limoges, prominently appears to the right of Christ on this gilded enamel reliquary once owned by the Church of Saint-Martial in Champagnat, a town 100 kilometers northeast of Limoges. Martial was particularly venerated in the area around Limoges, and where he was deemed to be of equal rank with the apostles.

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