Scenes from the Passion
Casket
late 10th century (made)
late 10th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an ivory casket made in the late 10th century probably in the Lower Rhine area. The gilt metal mounts are of about the 12th century, but the hinges and lock are modern. This casket represents scenes from the Passion. On the front is the Last Supper; on the back, Christ before Herod and the Betrayal; on the ends, the Agony in the Garden and the Crucifixion; on the top, the Maries at the Sepulchre and the Harrowing of Hell. There are borders of acanthus foliage on each side.
The technique of gold inlay clearly looks back to Metz works of the third quarter of the ninth century and the style, although rougher and less undercut, also reveals a debt to late Carolingian prototypes.
The small size of the casket and its subject matter, with the Last Supper placed on the front, suggest that it was made as a eucharistic vessel to hold the unconsecrated host.
The technique of gold inlay clearly looks back to Metz works of the third quarter of the ninth century and the style, although rougher and less undercut, also reveals a debt to late Carolingian prototypes.
The small size of the casket and its subject matter, with the Last Supper placed on the front, suggest that it was made as a eucharistic vessel to hold the unconsecrated host.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Scenes from the Passion (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ivory, gilt metal mounts |
| Brief description | Casket, ivory with gilt metal mounts, Scenes from the Passion, probably Lower Rhine, late 10th century |
| Physical description | Casket in ivory with scenes from the Passion. On the front is the Last Supper; on the back, Christ before Herod and the Betrayal; on the ends, the Agony in the Garden and the Crucifixion; on the top on the lid, the Maries at the Sepulchre and the Harrowing of Hell. There are borders of acanthus foliage on each side. The five plaques are held together with small metal pins drilled through the borders into their adjoining edges. In addition to this the box is secured with gilt metal clasps with dragon heads, two on each side of each plaque and a further four joining the plaques to the base plate. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | There is an engraved sketch for the figure of St. Peter, from the Betrayal on the inside of the casket. (Unknown; On the inside.) |
| Object history | From the Farrer Collection (Sale, Christie's, June 13th, 1866, No.579). The technique of gold inlay clearly looks back to Metz works of the third quarter of the ninth century and the style, although rougher and less undercut, also reveals a debt to late Carolingian prototypes. This casket is linked to a plaque in the V&A with scenes from the Passion (Inv. no. 1-1872) and to a comb, now in the Domschatzkammer in Essen, all are supposedly from the same workshop. Very likely a provincial workshop, probably in the area of the Lower Rhine. |
| Historical context | The small size of the casket and its subject matter, with the Last Supper placed on the front, suggest that it was made as a eucharistic vessel to hold the unconsecrated host. |
| Production | The gilt metal mounts are of about the 12th century, but the hinges and lock are modern. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is an ivory casket made in the late 10th century probably in the Lower Rhine area. The gilt metal mounts are of about the 12th century, but the hinges and lock are modern. This casket represents scenes from the Passion. On the front is the Last Supper; on the back, Christ before Herod and the Betrayal; on the ends, the Agony in the Garden and the Crucifixion; on the top, the Maries at the Sepulchre and the Harrowing of Hell. There are borders of acanthus foliage on each side. The technique of gold inlay clearly looks back to Metz works of the third quarter of the ninth century and the style, although rougher and less undercut, also reveals a debt to late Carolingian prototypes. The small size of the casket and its subject matter, with the Last Supper placed on the front, suggest that it was made as a eucharistic vessel to hold the unconsecrated host. |
| Associated object | REPRO.1886-108 (Reproduction) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 216-1866 |
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| Record created | December 22, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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