Designed by Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (born France, 1814–1879)
Made by Louis Bachelet (active France, 1851–about 1880)
Paris
Reliquary
INV-1799
Designed by Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (born France, 1814–1879)
Made by Louis Bachelet (active France, 1851–about 1880)
Parisc. 1851
gothic revivalreliquarycontainer
Date
c. 1851
Medium
Brass, gilded copper alloy, and wood
Dimensions
88 × 74.2 × 43.2 cm (34 5/8 × 29 1/4 × 17 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Mary Kathryn Hartigan and the Thomas W. Dower Foundation
An expert in historic churches and religious objects, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc likely based the design of this reliquary (a receptacle for sacred relics) on a medieval example with a similar gabled roof also embellished with pinecones, a symbol of eternal life. This object was produced by Louis Bachelet’s foundry, probably as a model that never contained relics. The foundry promoted Viollet-le-Duc’s design through a printed catalogue and in its showroom. The finished reliquaries cost between 2,300 and 2,800 francs (over $40,000 today), depending on the extent of the surface decoration and whether it was varnished or gilded.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
