Reliquary Bust of a Crowned Saint
Unknown Tyrolean or Swabian Sculptor, German, 1480 - 1520
about 1500
Polychromed and gilded wood
Overall: 20 3/4 × 16 7/8 × 10 5/8 in. (52.7 × 42.9 × 27 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through a grant from the Henry Moore Foundation and funds from the deaccessioning of an anonymous gift, by exchange
2022.14
Geography
Place Made: Austria, Europe
Period
1400-1600
Object Name
Reliquary
Research Area
Sculpture
On view
Label
This sculpture of a young woman dressed in rich garments and a crown once held the relic of a saint. The relic—something that holds the essence and power of a holy figure—would be safely housed in the reliquary and provide a focus for prayers to that figure. Reliquaries could be placed on altars or carried in religious processions, and they could prompt devotional pilgrimages. While the identity of this saint is now unknown, she likely represents one of the popular queen saints who served as models for women’s virtue. The realistic quality of the carving and painting, much of it original, would have given her a dramatic presence in the church where the sculpture once stood, augmented by the flicker of candles on golden surfaces and the smell of incense.
From the 2024 exhibition Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, curated by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art, and Ashley Offill, Curator of Collections
Course History
ARTH 27.02, Living Stone: Sculpture in Early Modern Italy, Elizabeth Kassler-Taub, Winter 2022
ARTH 27.02, Living Stone: Sculpture in Early Modern Italy, Elizabeth Kassler-Taub, Winter 2022
HIST 43.02, European Intellectual History 1400-1800, Darrin McMahon, Fall 2022
History 3.01, Europe in the Age of Wonder, M. Cecilia Gaposchkin and Walter Simons, Winter 2023
Art History 20.04, Faith and Empire, Beth Mattison, Spring 2023
History 42.01, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies 22.01, Gender & European Society, Patrick Meehan, Spring 2024
History 96.39, Saints and Relics, Cecilia Gaposchkin, Spring 2024
Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Noemi Perego, Spring 2024
Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Tania Convertini, Spring 2024
Italian 3.02, Introductory Italian III, Giorgio Alberti, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
Harrington Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 19, 2023-February 12, 2024.
Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.
Provenance
Larminet-Davioud Collection, several generations, housed in their Belgian country house; Rob Michiels Auctions, Bruges, Belgium, 1 November 2020, lot 1078; Sam Fogg, Ltd., London, UK; sold to present collection 2022.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu