Shrine of Saint Patrick's Hand
Unknown Artist
early 20th century (original dated 14th century)
Medium
Silver, gem stones
Dimensions
15 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 4 1/4 in. (38.7 x 13.3 x 10.8 cm)
Classification
Reproductions-Metalwork
Culture
Irish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1908
Accession Number
08.233.5
Art Historical Context
Behold the **Shrine of Saint Patrick's**, a stunning early 20th-century reproduction a 14th-century Irish original, crafted in gleaming silver adorned with gemstones. Measuring 15¼ x 5¼ x 4¼ inches, this intricate metalwork reliquary designed to house a sacred relic—believed to be the hand of Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1908, it now graces the Medieval Art department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering a tangible link to Ireland's devout Christian past. In medieval Ireland, such shrines were masterpieces of ecclesiastical metalwork, blendin...