Strange beauty: issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204

Abstract

"A study of reliquaries as a form of representation in medieval art. Explores how reliquaries stage the importance and meaning of relics using a wide range of artistic means from material and ornament to metaphor and symbolism"--Provided by publisher.

Contents

Pt. I. First things. Introduction -- The reliquary and its maker -- Relics, meaning, and response : early Christian reliquaries, narrative and not -- pt. II. Shaped reliquaries. Spolia and sign, metaphor and simile -- The reliquary cross -- Like and unlike metaphors -- Body-part reliquaries : heads -- Body-part reliquaries : other body parts -- pt. III. A gathering of saints : processions and treasuries. Reliquaries in action -- Treasuries -- Relic display -- A case study : Wibald of Stavelot as patron -- The impact of 1204, the "space" of the ark, and conclusion.