Reliquary Design
19th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink with gray and green wash on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 13 3/8 x 8 1/16 in. (34 x 20.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of János Scholz, 1957
Accession Number
57.610.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate 19th-century drawing a detailed design for aquary cross, an object traditionally crafted to hold sacred relics in Christian worship. Created by an anonymous French artist, the work captures ornate structure of such vessels, likely intended for ecclesiastical use. Rendered in pen and brown ink with subtle gray and green washes on laid paper, the sheet measures about 13 by 8 inches, allowing for precise architectural and decorative details that convey both elegance and reverence. Reliquaries like the one depicted here played a vital role in medieval and later religious life, servi...
About the Artist
Anonymous, French, 19th century · 1800–1900
**Anonymous, French, 19th Century (ca. 1800–1900)** The artist cataloged as Anonymous, French, 19th century embodies the enigmatic yet essential contributions of unidentified creators to France's vibrant 19th-century art world. Active roughly between 1800 and 1900, this figure—or potentially collective workshop—produced a diverse array of works amid the nation's transition from Neoclassicism thro...