User:Szlauraa/sandbox/Becket Casket
The Becket Casket is a reliquary in Limoges enamel now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. This 'chasse' shaped reliquary is made of gilt-copper round a wooden core, decorated with champlevé enamel. It was made in about 1180–90 in Limoges, France, and depicts one of the most infamous events in English history, the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket.
History[edit]
Becket Assassination[edit]
On the night of 29 December 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury cathedral by four knights obeying the wishes of King Henry II. It provoked outrage throughout Europe, and pilgrims flocked to Canterbury to pray at the site of the murder. In 1173 Becket was canonized and his shrine was one of the most famous in the Christian world, until its total destruction in 1538 during the reign of Henry VIII. It is thought that this particular casket was made to hold the relics of Thomas Becket that were taken to Peterborough Abbey (now Peterborough Cathedral) by Abbot Benedict in 1177. Benedict had been Prior at Canterbury Cathedral and therefore saw Becket's assassination. Although many stories from British medieval history are not as familiar, the Becket assassination still remains well-known to this day.
Aftermath[edit]
Relics of St Thomas were widely dispersed in the years following his death. Many were placed in caskets made in Limoges enamel in south-west France. This was the centre for the production of objects in champlevé enamel, which is characterized by brilliant blues, colourful rosettes and boldly engraved figures. Although many of Becket's relics were encased in similar elaborate caskets and dispersed all around the world, the chasse that is currently held by the Victoria and Albert Museum is believed to have the earliest date. It is also said to be the most ornate and the largest of all of the other caskets. Despite this, over 45 medieval chasses survive showing Becket's story and thought to have been made in Limoges. Another fine example is in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.[1] This is not the only depiction of the Becket assassination, as the Trinity Chapel in Canterbury displayed and familiarized the story and its imagery through its stained glass windows. Located near these windows and behind the throne of the Archbishop is a shrine holding Becket's relics, ornately enclosed in precious metals and stones. The shrine was created and placed in its location in 1220.
Imagery[edit]
The vessel itself is exemplary of the Romanesque style, with Byzantine and Roman influences throughout.[2] The story of Becket's assassination is displayed across the different sides of the casket, though the significance of certain figures on the back are only presumed, and one end of the vessel is missing its door panel.
The act of the assassination is depicted on the front panel of the casket. Archbishop Thomas Becket is seen upright, reaching for a chalice that is sitting atop an alter before him. To the right of him is the four knights who committed the act, wielding different weapons and poses. The first knight is pictured decapitating St. Thomas with a long sword, while two horrified priests witness the act from the opposite side of the altar.
The dead body of Becket is displayed on the front facing rectangular roof panel. His body is supported by a priest on each end, while funerary rites are performed by a Bishop and three more priests standing around the deceased. On the immediate left of these figures, a separate scene depicts the ascension of St. Thomas's soul into heaven. His soul is escorted into heaven by two angels that carry the shroud on which he laid.
An image of Christ in Majesty is shown on the left side gable. The figure is depicted atop a rainbow and surrounded by trefoils and stars. A turret and an ornate arch are seen on the opposite gable on the right hand side, where it is believed that a figure of St. Peter was probably displayed on the missing door panel.
There are four figures on the rear roof and bottom panels, each donning a halo and long hair. It is believed that these figures can be interpreted as a personified version of the Cardinal Virtues of Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, and Temperance, or simply as saints.
The rear bottom and roof panels are heavily patterned with quatrefoils of large and small sizes, with the previously mentioned saint figures at each of the four corners. As with the door panel on the right hand gable, the vessel is also missing the floor panel. All of the figures depicted throughout the vessel feature gilt-copper heads.
Technique[edit]
Champlevé enamel[edit]
The Becket Casket is ornately decorated with champlevé enamel surrounding its wooden core and gilded copper interior. The technique of champlevé enamel is simply described by the Metropolitan Museum of New York as "A decorative technique that fuses a powdered glassy material into a recess in a metal surface through the application of heat.".[3]
The basic process of enameling involves fusing powdered material, such as glass, to the outer surface of a metallic or similar object through the use of high temperature. It is an ancient artistic process, used throughout history and crossing borders to create beautifully decorated pieces of all kinds. The process of champlevé enameling holds all of the basic steps as that of regular enameling, however in this technique, recesses of all shapes and sizes are carefully carved into the metallic body of the object and further filled with the powdered glass or frit. The recessing in the body of the object can also be cast or etched, and the following steps remain the same. In order to prep a piece to be enameled, whether it be champlevé or regular enameling, the metal object must be thoroughly cleaned to remove any possible grime or finger marks on the surface. In the case of champlevé enamel, the desired recess must be put in place and thoroughly cleaned as well, as even the finest grains of frit will alter the piece and the desired effect.
When prepping the frit for the recess itself, another process is used to separate the finer grains from the heavier grains. This process is referred to as washing, where the frit is mixed with distilled water in a mortar, which allows for the separation of the grains. Once the heavier grains settle at the bottom of the mortar, the water is poured out and the fine grains are removed. The process of washing is then repeated multiple times in order to fully separate the grains. From there, the mixture can then be carefully pressed and packed into the recess using brushes or spatulas. It is then moved into a kiln for firing. The enameled piece is removed from the kiln to cool down after a couple of minutes, as the firing process has transformed the wet frit mixture into vitreous enamel. Any spilled excess of enamel is removed by a method called stoning, where an abrasive stone is pressed and rubbed against the surface to easily remove the overflow. Finally, after the object has been rid of any excess enamel, it is carefully wiped dry. The technique of champlevé enameling is prominently known as having flourished in the French city of Limoges.
Limoges & other works[edit]
The Limoges enamels are a body of intricate metalwork of the medieval times, most prominent throughout the Middle Ages in Europe. These pieces, much like the Becket Casket, served clerical purposes and were commissioned by wealthy and royal patrons.[4] Not only did the pieces of Limoges created using champlevé enamel hold an aesthetic appeal, but they also had a strong functionality, as their copper interiors were durable and thick. These pieces did not suffer the same unraveling as silver or gold at the time, as the copper would not easily be misshapen through everyday handling.[5]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Binski, 225, with a catalogue entry on the Burrell chasse.
- ^ "The Becket Casket". V&A Museum.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Grady, Medill Higgins Harvey, Moira Gallagher, Anne. "Champlevé Enameling". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Enamels of Limoges, 1100–1350 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org.
- ^ O'Neill, John Philip; Louvre, Musée du; N.Y.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York (1996). Enamels of Limoges: 1100-1350. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-87099-758-7.
References[edit]
- Binski, Paul in: Jonathan Alexander & Paul Binski (eds), Age of Chivalry, Art in Plantagenet England, 1200–1400, Royal Academy/Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1987
- Jackson, Anna (ed.) V&A: A Hundred Highlights (V&A Publications, 2001)