Tri-Lobed Arch from a Reliquary Shrine

Nicholas of Verdun and Cologne Followers

ca. 1200 · Champlevé enamel on gilded copper · Medieval Art

A massive, golden shrine in Cologne Cathedral contains relics believed to be of the biblical Three Kings who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Jesus. The relics were acquired in Milan in 1164, and the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun was commissioned to create one of the most ambitious reliquaries in Europe. This tiny arch, which comes from this important shrine, was removed during nineteenth-century restorations.

Artist

Nicholas of Verdun and Cologne Followers

Date

ca. 1200

Medium

Champlevé enamel on gilded copper

Culture

German

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of George Blumenthal, 1941