Saint Helena and the Emperor Constantine
- Object:
- Place of origin:
Lower Rhine, Germany (made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
Clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain
- Credit Line:
Given by J. Pierpont Morgan, Jr
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Sacred Silver & Stained Glass, room 84, case BAY4
- Download image
The woman depicted in this panel is St Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine (reigned 306–37). She was born about 255, and died about 330. Here she holds the True Cross, the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
Constantine legalised Christianity in 313, with the so-called Edict of Milan. Helena was a practising Christian and in 326 she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she established a number of religious institutions. According to accounts, Helena had a vision that showed her where the True Cross was buried. She directed her servants to uncover it. Subsequently, over many centuries, bits of the cross were given as pious gifts to leading churchmen and rulers throughout the Christian lands. This accounts for the number of ‘True Crosses’ to be found in many churches today.
One of the Fathers of the Western church, St Jerome (about 342–420), recorded the experiences of two women friends who had worshipped before the Cross in Jerusalem. We do not know if this Cross was the one that Helena supposedly found, but it could indicate that the story of the finding of the True Cross has a very long history.
The man in imperial dress standing next to St Helena is probably her son, Constantine. This is the most usual grouping. However, another window that originally came from a church in Cologne shows Helena with the canonised Holy Roman Emperor Henry II. Here there are insufficient clues to identify the male figure.
Place of Origin
Lower Rhine, Germany (made)
Date
ca. 1530 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain
Dimensions
Height: 145.4 cm unframed, Width: 68.3 cm unframed, Weight: 10.10 kg unframed
Object history note
From Cologne
Historical context note
The woman depicted in this panel is St. Helena and she is holding the True Cross. Helena (c.255- c.330) was the mother of the Emperor Constantine who reigned from 306 until his death in 337.
Constantine was the Emperor who brought an end to the persecutions of the Christians with the so-called 'Edict of Milan' in 313 in which he and his co-ruler Licinius agreed to the legalisation the Christian churches and the toleration of the practice of the faith.
His mother, Helena, was a practicing Christian and in 326 she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and established a number of religious institutions there.
According to accounts, it was at that time that Helena had a vision in a dream which showed her where the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified (the 'True Cross') was buried. She directed her servants to uncover it. Subsequently, over many centuries, bits of the cross were removed and given as pious gifts to leading churchmen and rulers throughout the Christian lands. This accounts for the number of 'True Crosses' to be found in many churches today.
One of the Fathers of the Western Church, St. Jerome (c.342-420) travelled to the Holy Land with two female companions at the end of the fourth century. Many years later he described the travels of these two women and recorded that they worshipped before the Cross in Jerusalem. It is not clear if this Cross is the one that Helena supposedly found but could indicate that the story of the finding of the True Cross has a very long history.
The man dressed in imperial accoutrements standing next to St. Helena is most likely to be her son, Constantine. This is the most often found grouping but another window which was originally in a church in Cologne shows Helena with the canonised Emperor Henry II. The iconography shown here is not sufficient to identify the male figure.
Descriptive line
Panel of clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain. Depicting St. Helena and the Emperor Constantine. Made in Germany (Lower Rhineland), c.1530.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Williamson, Paul. Medieval and Renaissance Stained Glass in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London, 2003. ISBN 1851774041
Labels and date
St Helena and the Emperor Constantine
St Helena, mother of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, is said to have rediscovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. She is shown here holding part of the cross. The crowned and haloed male figure is either Constantine or Henry II, the canonised German Emperor.
Cologne, Germany, about 1530
Clear and colorued glass, with paint and silver stain
Museum no.C.69-1919. Given by J.Pierpont Morgan, Jr. [(PW) 2004]
Materials
Glass
Techniques
Painting; Silver staining
Subjects depicted
Armour; Crown; Sword; Church; Sceptre; Crosses (objects); Double headed eagle; Helena (Saint); Constantine, Flavius Valerius (the Great)
Categories
Portraits; Royalty; Christianity; Stained Glass
Collection code
CER
