Portable Altar of Countess Gertrude
c. 1045
Maker Unknown
Medieval Art
Portable Altar of Countess Gertrude, c. 1045. Germany, Lower Saxony?, Romanesque period, 11th century. Gold, cloisonné enamel, porphyry, gems, pearls, niello, wood core; overall: 10.5 x 27.5 x 21 cm (4 1/8 x 10 13/16 x 8 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1931.462 On the bottom of this altar is a trap door that opened to reveal small relics of saints wrapped in silk.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Metalwork
- Formatted Medium
- gold, cloisonné enamel, porphyry, gems, pearls, niello, wood core
- Dimensions
- Overall: 10.5 x 27.5 x 21 cm (4 1/8 x 10 13/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
- Inscribed
- Inscription: GERDRVDIS XPO FELIX VT | VIVAT IN IPSO OBTVLIT HVNC LAPIDEM GEMMIS | AVROQ NITENTEM Inscription: SIGISMVNDVS, CONSTANTIVS, SANCTA CRVX, SCA ELENA, SCA ADALHEIT Translation: Sigismund, Constantine, True Cross, Saint Helena, Saint Adelheid Remark: Short Side, Right of Front,
- Departments
- Medieval Art
- Accession Number
- 1931.462
- Credit Line
- Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
- Exhibitions
- The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition, The Silver Jubilee Exhibition, Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum, Gold & Glory: Gifts for Eternity
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 106C Medieval Treasury
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