Jean, duc de Berry spared no expense for this dazzling reliquary containing a thorn from the Crown of Thorns.
The Holy Thorn Reliquary, 1390–97 (created for Jean, duc de Berry), enameled gold, sapphires, rubies, pearls, rock crystal, thorn, 30.5 x 15 x 7 cm (The British Museum, London). Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
0:00:04.8 Dr. Steven Zucker: We’re in the British Museum in London, a museum filled with treasures. But one that stands out even here, is known as the Holy Thorn Reliquary. It is the height of the jeweler’s art.
0:00:15.5 Dr. Beth Harris: A reliquary is meant to hold a relic, that is, an object to be venerated that is associated with a holy person. And in this case, the relic is one of the thorns from the Crown of Thorns that Christ wore. So we have an incredibly valuable spiritual object, one that has touched Christ himself, one which can provide a pathway to salvation. Encased in a solid gold reliquary, decorated with rubies, pearls, and sapphires, only the most talented and experienced craftsman could have created this object.
0:00:54.6 Dr. Steven Zucker: It was believed that the Crown of Thorns was brought from the Holy Land to, what was then, Constantinople. Jump ahead 800 years, when it was unceremoniously pawned by the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire to the Venetians, and it was at that point that the King of France, Louis IX, paid off the debt, redeemed the Crown of Thorns and brought it to Paris. It was so spiritually important, that he created an architectural masterpiece to house the object: Sainte-Chapelle.
0:01:23.0 Dr. Beth Harris: One could receive no more wonderful gift from the king of France than one of the thorns from the Crown of Thorns. And one of the thorns was given to the duc de Berry, one of the wealthiest men in Europe, and brother, son, to various kings of France. He took the relic, this single thorn, and commissioned this amazing reliquary to house it and express its spiritual importance.
0:01:52.2 Dr. Steven Zucker: It’s so interesting to think about the transformation that this reliquary has undergone over the years. When it was first created, the focus for most people who would have seen it, would not have been the gems and the extraordinary enamel work, the extraordinary gold work, but the focus, through the window, that single thorn. Now, when most people come to see this, the focus is on this as an extraordinary object, in our modern sense, a work of art.
0:02:20.1 Dr. Beth Harris: At the bottom, we see the form of a castle. But the importance of what the reliquary is showing us, begins just above that in a field of green, where we see four angels blowing trumpets to awaken the dead from their graves at the moment of the second coming of Christ.
0:02:40.9 Dr. Steven Zucker: We see the dead rising out of their tombs. This is the end of time, the Last Judgment. And these souls will now be judged to go to heaven or to go to hell. And just above, is a clear pane of rock crystal, almost flawless, and thus, extremely valuable. And as we look through, we enter another world. Here is Christ upon the globe of the world. Resting against him, and against an enormous blue sapphire, is the thorn itself.
0:03:06.7 Dr. Beth Harris: Below Christ, we see on the left, the Virgin Mary, who looks up toward Christ, as does on the right, Saint John the Baptist.
0:03:17.2 Dr. Steven Zucker: And framing Christ, are two angels, each of whom holds symbols of the passion of Christ. We see a spear, and the nails, a reminder of Christ’s suffering on behalf of mankind. These figures are gold, covered in large part by enamel, that is, by a glass that has been heated and fused that allows for incredible color. Look at the brilliance of the red of Mary’s sleeve, or the green of the sash that Christ wears. And the way that Christ’s beard, gold that has been left uncovered, plays so beautifully against the white of his skin.
0:03:48.0 Dr. Beth Harris: And these folds of drapery that move around the bodies of the figures.
0:03:52.5 Dr. Steven Zucker: All of this, is then framed by an arch with pearls alternating with enormous rubies. And then that in turn, is framed by the 12 apostles.
0:04:02.7 Dr. Beth Harris: And they’re each so individualized.
0:04:05.2 Dr. Steven Zucker: The two uppermost apostles are later replacements, and may have originally shown not only Peter, but also Paul.
0:04:12.3 Dr. Beth Harris: Starting at the right, Saint Peter, holding a key. Below him, we see Saint James, who we can identify by the scallop shell that’s in his left hand.
0:04:21.9 Dr. Steven Zucker: Look at the detail of the cloak that he wears, the texture of the area around his shoulders.
0:04:27.2 Dr. Beth Harris: And then below him, we see Saint James the Less, holding a club, reaching out his right hand.
0:04:33.7 Dr. Steven Zucker: Next is Saint Bartholomew. He holds a flaying knife prominently in his right hand. His head is also turned inward, looking directly at Christ. And below Bartholomew, Simon the Zealot holds a saw. On the left side, we see Saint Thomas holding a spear. Then Matthew, with a battle axe. And then next, Saint John, holding a chalice with a serpent that winds around it.
0:04:57.8 Dr. Beth Harris: Next we see a saint who could be Saint Philip, Saint Jude or Thaddeus. Next, Saint Philip, and then Saint Jude or Saint Thaddeus, with a club. At the very top of the reliquary, God the Father, wearing a crown. In His left hand, he holds an orb with a cross on top, and on the right, a scepter. These are traditional attributes of God the Father. And below Him, are two angels adoring Him.
0:05:23.3 Dr. Steven Zucker: He’s situated before a golden sunburst, and is framed by pearls, a sapphire, and rubies. And that sapphire mirrors the sapphire at the base of the holy thorn. This minute image is so clear that we forget the technical virtuosity that was necessary to be able to produce this. The glass that makes up the enamel, and the gold that surrounds it and is underneath, have different melting temperatures. The gold melts at a lower temperature than the glass. And yet, the artist needed to be able to melt the glass to fuse it to the gold, and so had to add flux to lower the temperature of the glass so that the gold would hold its shape. This is such a delicate process.
0:06:05.6 Dr. Beth Harris: Well clearly, the duc de Berry had the finest craftsman working for him. And here, sparing no expense for this reliquary containing a thorn from the Crown of Thorns.
