Plaque from a Portable Altar with Scenes from the Life of Jesus
Unknown Artist
ca. 1160–80
Medium
Champlevé enamel, copper-gilt
Dimensions
Overall: 1 3/4 x 5 1/16 x 1/16 in. (4.5 x 12.9 x 0.2 cm) grouped with 17.190.410-.413: 6 3/8 x 10 1/4 x 1/16 in. (16.2 x 26.1 x 0.2 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Champlevé
Culture
German
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.413
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite plaque, dating to around 1160–80, hails from Germany and once adorned a portable altar, a compact devotional object ideal for traveling clergy, monks or nobility during the Middle Ages. Crafted in champlevé enamel on copper-gilt, it just 1¾ x 5 inches, featuring vivid scenes from the life of Jesus including figures of men and donkeys—likely evoking the triumphant Entry into Jerusalem. When grouped with companion plaques (17.190.410–.413), it forms a ensemble measuring about 6⅜ x 10¼ inches, suggesting a modular design for intimate worship. Champlevé enamel, a hallmark of 12th-c...