"Book of Dimma" Shrine
Unknown Artist
early 20th century (original dated 11th century)
Medium
Bronze gilt, jewels
Dimensions
Overall: 7 7/8 x 2 1/2 x 6 3/4in. (20 x 6.4 x 17.1cm)
Classification
Reproductions-Metalwork
Culture
Irish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1908
Accession Number
08.23.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Medieval Art gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the "Book of Dimma Shrine captivates with its shimmering bronze gilt surface adorned with jewels. This exquisite reproduction, crafted in the early 20 century, faithfully recreates an original 11th-century Irish metalwork shrine known as a *cumdach*—a protective case for sacred manuscripts like the 8th-century Book of Dimma, a Gospel book attributed to St. Dimma. Measuring just 7⅞ x 2½ x 6¾ inches, its compact form belies its grandeur, evoking the artistry of Ireland's Golden Age of monastic metalworking. Irish mediev...