Reliquary Shrine In The Form Of A Monstrance, Gilded Copper, Repoussé, Engraved, Limoges, 15th Century

An extremely rare copper reliquary (traces of gilding), repoussé and engraved, with Gothic architectural decoration. This monstrance-reliquary rests on a hexagonal base supporting a stem interrupted by a knot adorned with decorative medallions. The reliquary receptacle takes the form of a quadrangular aedicule, engraved with simulated masonry and pierced with trefoil motifs. The two hinged fronts, secured with pins, feature a wide circular lunette for displaying the relic. The whole is framed by pinnacled columns joined by an openwork gallery decorated with finials and surmounted by a Gothic spire ending in a cross. The miniature architecture, inspired by the vocabulary of Gothic buildings (pinnacles, gables, trefoil arches), is characteristic of religious metalwork from the late Middle Ages. This type of object was used to display relics or the Blessed Sacrament during devotions or processions, particularly following the development of Eucharistic worship in the 14th century. The typology of this piece can be compared to certain reliquary monstrances from the Limousin tradition, whose models also feature an architecturally structured mount and a central lunette for displaying relics. Condition: wear and minor losses, including a missing pinnacle element; traces of oxidation. Provenance: France, probably a Limousin work (Limoges), from the late 15th century. Comparative bibliography: Ernest Rupin, L'Œuvre de Limoges, Paris, 1890. Véronique Notin, Cuivres d'orfèvres: catalogue des œuvres médiévales du Limousin, Limoges, 1996. Danielle Gaborit-Chopin & Frédéric Tixier, L'Œuvre de Limoges et sa diffusion, Rennes.