Portable Altar of Stavelot

Region of the river Meuse, c. 1150
Inv. 1590
level 0 room U
This portable altar comes from the Abbey of Stavelot and is dated c. 1150. As well as the head-reliquary of Pope Alexander, it is one of the most important masterpieces of mosan mediaeval goldsmiths. It is the leader of a serie of works from the same school on typological, stylistical and technical points of vue.
In the middle of gilded and enamelled copper plates, the rock crystal altar stone covers the text of the Mass' Sanctus, placed directly on the wooden core hollowed in order to contain the relics of Saints, as indicated on the lower side on a golden copper plate adorned with brown varnish.

The rich iconographical programme of the enamels is based on the Old and New Testament for the upper part and on the life of the saints for the sides of the altar. Many inscriptions make it explicit. Around the altar stone, it is based on the theme of the Passion in relationship with the Sacrifice of the Mass. Two gilded and embossed scroll ornamented copper strips emphasize the horizontal lines of the work and surround the enamels of the sides depicting in a very animated way the Martyrdom of the eleven Apostles and the Dormition of Saint John. Cast in brass and gilded, the four evangelists, sitting in the corners, have the function of the altar's legs.

M. de Ruette

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Mise à jour : 05 mai 1996.