CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Racz, Bernat |
|---|---|
| Title | The Reliquary of Petermonostora: A Twelfth-Century Mosan Phylactery Discovered in Hungary |
| Summary | The so-called Reliquary of Pétermonostora, discovered at a private monastery in Hungary in 2013, consists of two large enamel plaques depicting the Ascension of Christ and the Washing of the Feet, and three fragments of a long florally decorated gilded copper strip. After their unearthing, the objects pertaining to the artwork remained without a correct identification for a decade. This thesis is the first detailed study of this exceptional artwork. The analysis of the style, technique, and shape presented here reveals that the reliquary was made in the Meuse Valley around 1170. The artist responsible for its production was related to the works at Stavelot in the 1160s, and to a workshop that created a group of semicircular enamel plaques kept at the British Museum. The Mosan provenience established by the artwork’s stylistic connections suggests that it was following the shape of polylobed reliquaries known as phylacteries. In addition to the fragments previously assigned to the reliquary, I suggest that a plaque depicting an angel – found near the other fragments – should also be considered as part of the object. Unfortunately, the artwork’s context in Hungary is not as clear as its ties to the Meuse Valley, and therefore it is unknown how the reliquary ended up at this private monastery, however, the study of the art of the court presents interesting links to Mosan art in the period soon after the reliquary’s creation. Furthermore, the object advances the study of the monastic and cultural landscape of private monasteries in the 12th century. |
| Supervisor | Szakács, Béla Zsolt; Laszlovszky, József |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/racz_bernat.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University