Weddeghe Velstede (German, active 1432-73)
container: Egyptian
Reliquary Monstrance with a Tooth of Saint John the Baptist
INV-8841
Weddeghe Velstede (German, active 1432-73)
container: Egyptian1433; container: 900/1200
Reliquary Monstrance with a Tooth of Saint John the Baptist
Weddeghe Velstede (German, active 1432-73) container: Egyptian →ceremonial objectvessel
Date
1433; container: 900/1200
Medium
Silver gilt, rock crystal, textile, and human remains
Dimensions
45.8 × 14.7 cm (18 × 5 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Chauncey McCormick
This reliquary uses the form of a miniature Gothic tower. It makes an elaborate architectural frame for a transparent rock-crystal vessel holding a relic that is identified as a tooth of Saint John the Baptist by an inscription along the base of the reliquary. Rock crystal was highly prized in the medieval Islamic world. Considered a precious stone, it was used to create a number of luxurious secular objects, including this vessel, which was probably originally intended to be a container for fragrant oils.