Reliquary bust of a companion of Saint Ursula
Unknown Artist
ca. 1520–30
Medium
Oak, polychromed and gilt on plaster ground; glass opening for relic
Dimensions
Height: 17 7/8 in. (45.4 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
Belgian, possibly Brussels
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.728
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite reliquary bust, around 1520–30 in Belgium—possibly Brussels—depicts a companion of Saint Ursula, the legendary 4th-century British princess martyred alongside her 11,000 followers. In the vibrant Catholic culture of the early Renaissance, such objects housed sacred relics, like bone fragments, believed to carry miraculous powers. Devotees venerated them in churches and homes, seeking intercession from these holy women, whose story symbolized purity and collective martyrdom. Carved from oak with a plaster ground, the bust is vividly polychromed—painted in lifelike colors—and ado...