Female Reliquary Bust in the Cloisters, Sept. 2007

Reliquary Bust of a Female Saint

Date: ca. 1520–30

Geography: Made in possibly Brussels, Belgium

Culture: South Netherlandish

Medium: Oak, paint, gilt

Dimensions: Overall: 16 11/16 x 12 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (42.4 x 32.4 x 15.9 cm)

Classification: Sculpture-Wood

Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1959

Accession Number: 59.70

Description: Bust reliquaries for the skulls of saints were placed on or near altars and, by the late Middle Ages, often assembled in large numbers in church sanctuaries. The small glazed medallion resembling jewelry once displayed additional relics. On particular feast days, such reliquaries were carried in processions.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/471844