Holy Thorn Reliquary

The Holy Thorn Reliquary was created to house a relic of the Crown of Thorns. It is one of a small number of significant works that survive from the extravagant world of the courts of the Valois royal family around 1400.

It is made of gold, richly decorated with jewels and pearls, and a total of 28 three-dimensional figures, mostly in white enamel.

The front view shows the end of the world and the Last Judgement, with the Trinity and saints above and below the resurrection of the dead. The relic of a single long thorn believed to come from the crown of thorns worn by Jesus when he was crucified.

The rearview is mostly in plain gold in low relief and has doors that opened to display a flat object, now missing, presumably another relic.

King Louis IX of France bought what he believed to be the authentic Crown of Thorns in Constantinople in 1239, and individual thorns were distributed as gifts by subsequent French kings.

John, Duke of Berry (1340–1416), brother of King Charles V of France, had this reliquary made to house a single thorn.

The reliquary later becomes part of the Habsburg collections from at least the 16th century until the 1860s, when a forgery replaced it. The reliquary eventually reached the British Museum as part of a bequest in 1899.

Reliquary

A reliquary is a term usually used to refer to a container of relics. The authenticity of many relics is often a matter of debate.

These may be the purported or actual physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures.

Relics have long been important to Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and many other religions. In these cultures, reliquaries are often presented in shrines, churches, or temples to which the faithful make pilgrimages.

The term is also used loosely for containers for the body parts of non-religious figures. In particular, the Kings of France often specified that their hearts and sometimes other organs be buried in a different location from their primary burial.

The use of reliquaries became a part of Christian practices from the 4th century, initially in the Eastern Churches.

The early Eastern Churches adopted the practice of moving and dividing the bodies of saints much earlier than the West, probably in part because the new capital of Constantinople, lacked buried saints.

Relics are venerated in the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Anglican Churches.

The 16th-century reformers such as Martin Luther opposed the use of relics since many had no proof of historical authenticity, and they objected to the cult of saints.

Many reliquaries, particularly in northern Europe, were destroyed by Calvinists during the Reformation, being melted down or pulled apart to recover precious metals and gems.

Title: Holy Thorn Reliquary
Created: 1400 (circa) – Paris
Materials: Gold, sapphire, ruby, rock crystal, pearl, enamel
Dimensions: H: 30.5 cm; W: 15 cm (max); D: 7 cm; W: 1405 gm
Museum: The British Museum