Inventory Number M0105
Size 9" H x 4.75" W x 2.75" D
Material Metal over wood with glass cabochons
Period Art Nouveau
Country of Origin France
Year Made c. 1905
The deluxe container shown here features a magnificent repoussé vision of Christ of the Pentecost, an image copied from an interior tympanum (twelfth century) in the Basilique Ste-Madeleine in Vézelay, the French town from which Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade in 1146.* The Pentecost, the celebration of the birthday of the Christian church, was the day traditionally set aside for baptisms. The box is further enriched with medallions and cabochons that recall but do not imitate the precious book boxes, reliquaries, and secular metalwork of the medieval period.
Information provided by Dr. Martin Eidelberg
