Reliquary Shrine of St. Barbara in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2010

Workshop of Louis Marcy (?)
Reliquary Shrine of St. Barbara
Silver and gilded silver
Made about 1880-1900 in Europe

Accession # 55.1

This tower reliquary in the form of a Gothic church incorporates architectural styles of different periods. For this reason, and because it is not possible to access the relic inside, the shrine is thought to be a modern fabrication.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.


Gothic Revival and Modern Forgery

Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe embraced the study of Gothic art as well as a revival of Gothic styles in contemporary art and architecture. This renewed focus was accompanied by an increased demand for medieval works of art among private collectors and public museums. As a result, many modern works of art were created in imitation of Gothic styles.

Some of the works displayed here and in the adjacent case are by Louis Marcy (also known as Luigi Parmeggiani, 1860-1945), a gifted metalworker-dealer whose workshop produced objects in a wide variety of styles harking back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Active in London and Paris, Marcy's workshop was responsible for creating jewelry, caskets, ivory, and reliquaries, but also utilitarian objects. These works were manufactured with such skill, utilizing design motifs from a variety of sources, that Marcy successfully sold pieces to nearly every major collector and museum as authentic works from the Middle Ages.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.