Bursa Reliquary in the Cloisters, October 2017

Bursa Reliquary

Date: 10th century

Culture: North Italian

Medium: Bone, copper-gilt, wood

Dimensions: Overall: 7 3/4 x 7 5/16 x 3 1/4in. (19.7 x 18.6 x 8.3cm)

Classification: Ivories

Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1953

Accession Number: 53.19.2


Description

Bursa, or purse-shaped, reliquaries are one of the oldest types of reliquary, with numerous surviving examples from the seventh century onward. This one, dating from the tenth century, displays a masterful treatment of ivory wherein the surface is modeled by incision and relief carving while the background is pierced through (ajouré). In the Middle Ages, it was common for ivory-covered reliquaries to display scenes of the life of the saint, whose remains were held within the container, but in this example, the ivory displays more purely decorative imagery.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/53.19.2