22:
105:, the outer wings protect (when swung shut) the middle section, which contains two smaller triptychs, each containing pieces of the True Cross. The black velvet background is modern, originally it was a golden field inlaid with semi-precious stones – see for example the
344:. Not only are the enamel techniques different between the outer triptych and the smaller inner triptychs, but the way images and ideas are expressed are very different. Eastern Byzantine artists use static, hierarchal figures frozen in place, silently adoring
297:
The three medallions on the left wing tell the story of
Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Starting with the bottom medallion on the left wing, it pictures the medieval version of the legend of Constantine having a dream the night before the
131:
origin, which predate the outer one by some decades. The artists are unknown, although other works have been suggested as coming from the same workshop. We do not know with certainty who ordered it, or who paid for it. The
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Of the inner triptychs, both mostly in gold and enamel, the lower, larger one has two slivers of wood of the True Cross forming a cross. Around this on the central panel are enamel standing figures of
340:
As well as the masterly goldsmith's work and beauty of the
Stavelot Triptych, it remains instructive as a demonstration of the diverging Eastern and Western Christian artistic traditions in the
337:; the two thieves crosses have already been excavated. In the upper medallion, Helena is testing the three crosses on a sick man to find the one True Cross that has the healing powers.
101:
The
Stavelot Triptych is a three-part winged shrine; with the wings open its dimensions are 19 in (480 mm) in height by 26 in (660 mm) in width. In such a
321:
The three medallions on the right wing tell the story of Saint Helena's discovery of the True Cross. Starting with the bottom medallion on the right wing, Helena questions
185:, and after his return commissioned Mosan artists to create the larger outer triptych. The Triptych was certainly in the Abbey when it was suppressed in 1792, after the
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standing beside the cross, with the sun and the moon above the cross. The insides of the wings have geometric decoration, while the outsides have an
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The outer wings of the main triptych contain enamel medallions with narrative scenes from the legends of the True Cross, stories well known in the
306:. The middle medallion shows Constantine's victory at the Milvian bridge, with a cross standard. The upper medallion shows Constantine being
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technique which had by then largely replaced cloisonné in the West, and in which "Mosan" metalworkers were the leading artists in Europe.
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329:) about the location of the Cross. In the middle medallion, Helena watches as servants dig up the Cross on Mount
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at each of the four ends, holds the cross together. The insides of the wings contain four
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208:(Constantine's mother who originally found the True Cross) on the right, below busts of
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storytelling with animated figures acting out dramatic visions, battles and miracles.
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189:. The last prince-abbot, CĂ©lestin Thys, carried the triptych to Germany during the
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The glory of
Byzantium: art and culture of the Middle Byzantine era, A.D. 843-1261
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The outer triptych is of Mosan origin, built to house the two inner triptychs of
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702:; full text available online from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
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in 1154. It is theorized Wibald received the two smaller triptychs as
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The
Stavelot Triptych. Mosan Art and the Legend of the True Cross
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website of J. Richard
Stracke, emeritus professor of English at
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website of J. Richard
Stracke, emeritus professor of English at
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on the right. The outsides of the wings have figures of the
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The upper, smaller triptych held relics of the True Cross,
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28:, Mosan, Belgium, c. 1156–58. 48×66 cm with wings open,
274:. Over the top of the two top medallions is inscribed:
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and the cross. In contrast, the
Western artists use
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Behold the Cross of the Lord, flee you hostile powers
58:
intended to protect, honor and display pieces of the
582:, 15 June 1910 (issue 39 299), p. 8, column F.
576:The British Museum: Exhibition of Far Eastern Art,
166:(1098–1158), was sent on a diplomatic mission to
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519:"The Stavelot Triptych: Notes on a Mosan Work"
741:Collection of the Morgan Library & Museum
493:
487:
688:Evans, Helen C. & Wixom, William D.,
20:
516:
708:
66:—"Mosan" signifies the valley of the
16:Medieval reliquary and portable altar
506:. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
13:
682:
14:
777:
500:. In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
460:. Last accessed 23 October 2010.
406:. Last accessed 23 October 2010.
151:which produced some significant
141:Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy
676:The Morgan Library & Museum
652:The Morgan Library & Museum
589:
484:Last accessed 26 December 2009.
404:The Morgan Library & Museum
304:he will conquer under that sign
257:with the Virgin Mary and Saint
78:. The work is a masterpiece of
30:The Morgan Library & Museum
510:
109:. The two inner triptychs are
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1:
746:Annunciation in Christian art
731:Reliquaries of the True Cross
355:
300:Battle of the Milvian Bridge
212:. An X-shaped fixture, with
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751:Crucifixion of Jesus in art
87:Morgan Library & Museum
10:
782:
310:just before his death, by
251:. The central panel has a
143:, a small statelet in the
159:of 1093–97. We know that
736:Works in vitreous enamel
666:Augusta State University
650:, the Online Catalog of
458:Augusta State University
402:, the Online Catalog of
608:Oxford University Press
604:Pierpont Morgan Library
517:Brodsky, Joyce (1972).
480:Illuminated Manuscripts
153:illuminated manuscripts
674:. Zoomable image from
448:6 October 2008 at the
247:, and the robe of the
139:of Stavelot ruled the
36:
662:Christian Iconography
503:Catholic Encyclopedia
454:Christian Iconography
314:, below an approving
24:
494:Michael Ott (1913).
264:Annunciation to Mary
172:Frederick Barbarossa
85:and is today in the
333:, below a pointing
259:John the Evangelist
155:, most notably the
658:Stavelot Reliquary
644:Stavelot Reliquary
443:Stavelot Reliquary
396:Stavelot Reliquary
37:
672:Stavelot Triptych
342:Romanesque period
325:leaders (wearing
187:French Revolution
183:Manuel I Comnenus
180:Byzantine Emperor
145:Holy Roman Empire
41:Stavelot Triptych
26:Stavelot Triptych
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622:Marilyn Stokstad
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312:Pope Sylvester I
284:The Lion of the
238:Four Evangelists
204:on the left and
176:diplomatic gifts
107:Cross of Lothair
83:goldsmith's work
70:—around 1156 at
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683:Further reading
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476:British Library
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450:Wayback Machine
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218:military saints
191:Napoleonic Wars
170:by the Emperor
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74:in present-day
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630:Westview Press
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535:10.2307/766688
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497:"Wibald"
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470:Stavelot Bible
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360:
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288:, the Root of
286:Tribe of Judah
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245:Holy Sepulchre
168:Constantinople
157:Stavelot Bible
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72:Stavelot Abbey
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91:New York City
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64:Mosan artists
62:. Created by
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50:and portable
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34:New York City
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766:Gold objects
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626:Medieval art
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602:. New York:
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590:Bibliography
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529:(1): 19–33.
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206:Saint Helena
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195:J. P. Morgan
161:Prince-Abbot
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54:in gold and
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25:
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335:Hand of God
327:Jewish hats
316:Hand of God
272:Middle Ages
254:Crucifixion
249:Virgin Mary
202:Constantine
149:scriptorium
134:Benedictine
97:Description
68:Meuse river
716:1156 works
710:Categories
356:References
210:archangels
80:Romanesque
60:True Cross
726:Triptychs
721:Mosan art
579:The Times
559:193518164
543:0016-920X
350:narrative
234:Demetrius
226:Procopius
178:from the
137:monastery
129:Byzantine
121:champlevé
112:cloisonné
48:reliquary
756:Stavelot
624:(2004).
598:(1980).
446:Archived
308:baptized
230:Theodore
103:triptych
45:medieval
660:on the
648:Corsair
452:on the
400:Corsair
331:Calvary
76:Belgium
698:
636:
614:
557:
551:766688
549:
541:
346:Christ
323:Jewish
222:George
214:pearls
164:Wibald
116:enamel
56:enamel
632:Inc.
555:S2CID
547:JSTOR
523:Gesta
290:David
52:altar
43:is a
696:ISBN
634:ISBN
612:ISBN
539:ISSN
474:The
232:and
224:and
39:The
646:on
531:doi
472:in
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89:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
