Electrotype Shrine
1893 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the medieval period, the bones and body parts of saints, as well as fragments of their possessions, were all known as relics. They were kept in a shrine, or in special containers called reliquaries. Both shrines and reliquaries were lavishly decorated with gold, silver, enamels and precious stones.
This is an exact copy of the medieval shrine in Zadar, Croatia, with scenes from the life of St Simeon. The original shrine was made to contain the mummified body of Simeon, who first recognised and blessed the newborn Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem. This episode, described in the Gospel of St Luke, is shown on the front, in the centre. On the lid there is a full-size image of the saint’s body.
The shrine was commissioned by Elizabeth, wife of Louis of Anjou, King of Hungary and Croatia. The royal arms of Anjou appear at one end and another scene on the front shows Louis’s visit to Zadar in 1358. Further scenes show the shrine itself being made, a process that took three years, and a goldsmith finishing off a column.
An inscription at the back states that the original shrine was made in 1380 by Francesco di Antonio, of Sesto near Milan. In 1497 Toma Martinov of Zadar did additional work to the interior. The V&A version shown here is an electrotype copy made by Royal Hungarian Museum of Industrial Art, Budapest in 1893.
This is an exact copy of the medieval shrine in Zadar, Croatia, with scenes from the life of St Simeon. The original shrine was made to contain the mummified body of Simeon, who first recognised and blessed the newborn Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem. This episode, described in the Gospel of St Luke, is shown on the front, in the centre. On the lid there is a full-size image of the saint’s body.
The shrine was commissioned by Elizabeth, wife of Louis of Anjou, King of Hungary and Croatia. The royal arms of Anjou appear at one end and another scene on the front shows Louis’s visit to Zadar in 1358. Further scenes show the shrine itself being made, a process that took three years, and a goldsmith finishing off a column.
An inscription at the back states that the original shrine was made in 1380 by Francesco di Antonio, of Sesto near Milan. In 1497 Toma Martinov of Zadar did additional work to the interior. The V&A version shown here is an electrotype copy made by Royal Hungarian Museum of Industrial Art, Budapest in 1893.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Electroformed and copper gilt sheet on a wooden frame |
| Brief description | Electrotype copy of St. Simeon's Shrine, Zadar, Croatia, Copper gilt, sheet on wood, Budapest, Royal Hungarian Museum of Industrial Art, 1893. |
| Physical description | Electrotype Shrine. The original of wood covered with plates of silver-gilt, repousse and chased, is said to contain the body of St. Simeon and stands behind the high altar of the church dedicated to that saint in Zadar, Dalmatia (Croatia). On the sloping roof is a full length recumbent figure of the saint; the remainder of the surface is divided into panels, most of which contaion scenes in relief connected with his life, the removal of his body and the preparation of the shrine: these panels are surrounded by bands of conventional floral ornament. On the ends are the arms of Hungary impaled with those of France; inscriptions at the back state that the shrine was made by Francesco di Antonio of Sesto near Milan in 1380, at the command of Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary. Some of the bands of ornament are of a later date and there is additional work to the interior by Toma Martinov of Zadar in 1497. |
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| Object history | The original price of this electrotype was £201 12s 2d. |
| Summary | In the medieval period, the bones and body parts of saints, as well as fragments of their possessions, were all known as relics. They were kept in a shrine, or in special containers called reliquaries. Both shrines and reliquaries were lavishly decorated with gold, silver, enamels and precious stones. This is an exact copy of the medieval shrine in Zadar, Croatia, with scenes from the life of St Simeon. The original shrine was made to contain the mummified body of Simeon, who first recognised and blessed the newborn Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem. This episode, described in the Gospel of St Luke, is shown on the front, in the centre. On the lid there is a full-size image of the saint’s body. The shrine was commissioned by Elizabeth, wife of Louis of Anjou, King of Hungary and Croatia. The royal arms of Anjou appear at one end and another scene on the front shows Louis’s visit to Zadar in 1358. Further scenes show the shrine itself being made, a process that took three years, and a goldsmith finishing off a column. An inscription at the back states that the original shrine was made in 1380 by Francesco di Antonio, of Sesto near Milan. In 1497 Toma Martinov of Zadar did additional work to the interior. The V&A version shown here is an electrotype copy made by Royal Hungarian Museum of Industrial Art, Budapest in 1893. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | REPRO.1894:1-15 |
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| Record created | October 26, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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