Book-Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty
Unknown Artist
ca. 1210–20
Medium
Copper: engraved, chased, scraped, stippled, and gilt; champlevé enamel: dark and light blue, turquoise, green, yellow, red, and white
Dimensions
Overall (with wooden support): 10 5/8 x 6 5/8 x 13/16 in. (27 x 16.9 x 2 cm) enamels without wooden support: 10 1/4 x 6 5/16 in. (26.1 x 16 cm) center plaque: 8 1/4 x 4 1/4 in. (21 x 10.8 cm) vertical border plaques: 8 1/4 x 1 in. (21 x 2.6 cm) horizontal border plaques: 6 1/4 x 1 in. (15.9 x 2.6 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Champlevé
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.798
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Book-Cover Plaque Christ in Majesty*, crafted in France around 1210–20, once adorned the cover of a sacred Christian text, such as a Gospel book or Bible. At its center, Christ is depicted enthroned in majestic glory—a powerful Romanesque motif symbolizing divine authority and the Last Judgment—flanked by angels and the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), whose symbolic creatures often appear in such compositions. The plaque's intricate design reflects the devotional art of medieval monasteries and cathedrals, where such covers protected holy manuscripts while pro...