- Period
- Gothic
- Date
- 1347
- Collection
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object no.
- 1978.26
Frame for a Portable Reliquary Icon
Unknown maker, 1347
Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Ruth Blumka in memory of Leopold Blumka · Public domain
- Maker
- Unknown maker
- Date
- 1347
- Medium
- gilded wood, modeled gesso, verre églomisé, glass cabochons, and relics
- Dimensions
- Overall: 66.7 x 51.3 x 25.3 cm (26 1/4 x 20 3/16 x 9 15/16 in.)
- Period
- Gothic
The record
Why it matters
With intricate carvings and lavish gilding, this frame holds 17 labeled relics, mostly bodily remains or belongings of saints, worshiped for their spiritual significance. The frame once contained a gilded glass image of the Virgin Mary and Christ child. A Latin inscription around the base likely refers to Mino Cinughi, rector (administrator) of the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena during 1340–51, which cared for pilgrims on the way to Rome. Believers sought healing in medieval hospitals through the veneration of relics hoping to elicit miracles from the saints. While this object probably resided on an altar, the ornamentation on both sides suggests it was also carried in processions.