Chasse
Unknown Artist
13th century
Medium
Copper-gilt, champlevé enamel
Dimensions
Overall: 7 1/16 x 8 1/16 x 3 1/16in. (18 x 20.4 x 7.7cm)
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
17.190.342
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the luminous world of 13th French medieval art with this exquisite *Chasse*, a reliquary crafted by an unknown artist around the 1200s. Shaped like a miniature Gothic church—complete with pitched roof, gables, and architectural details—this copper-gilt object served a sacred purpose: safeguarding holy relics, such as fragments of saints' bones, venerated by pilgrims and clergy alike. Measuring just over 7 by 8 inches, its compact form made it portable for processions or private devotion, embodying the era's deep fusion of faith, artistry, and devotion during the High Middle Ages. Th...