- Period
- Romanesque
- Date
- c. 1170–80
- Collection
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object no.
- 1950.574.b
Plaque with Seated Prophet from a Reliquary Shrine: Heliseus (Elisha)
Unknown maker, c. 1170–80
Cleveland Museum of Art · Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund · Public domain
- Maker
- Unknown maker
- Date
- c. 1170–80
- Medium
- gilded copper, champlevé enamel
- Dimensions
- Overall: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.3 cm (3 7/16 x 2 5/16 x 1/8 in.)
- Period
- Romanesque
The record
Why it matters
Once used as decorations for a reliquary shrine, each enamel plaque represents a biblical prophet: Isaiah, Obadiah, Elisha, and Hosea. Fine gold dots punctuate dark blue backgrounds. Typical of Hildesheim enamels, this detailing creates the illusion that the prophets sit against star-studded twilight skies.