Kneeling Prophet from the Reliquary Chasse of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Medium
gilt bronze
Dimensions
13.8 × 9.3 × 8.7 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1964.360
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
This figure is one of only two known surviving fragments of the Reliquary Châsse of Saint-Germain. Fashioned from silver, gold, and precious stones, it was designed to hold the body of the saint. A contract from 1409 gives the names of the commissioned goldsmiths: Jean de Clichy, Gautier du Four, and Guillaume Boey.The reliquary was housed in the ancient Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris and formed the monastery’s great treasure until it was destroyed in the French revolution....
About the Artist
Jean de Clichy (French)
Georges Hugnet (1906–1974) was a multifaceted French artist, poet, writer, and critic whose innovative collages and graphic works bridged Dada and Surrealism. Born in Paris on July 11, 1906, he spent much of his early childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, returning to France around 1913. His early life and artistic training remain sparsely documented, with no records of formal art school attendanc...