Monymusk Reliquary
The Monymusk Reliquary is an eighth century Scottish
It is an early example of the house-shaped shrine that became popular across Europe later in the Middle Ages, perhaps influenced by Insular styles. The Monymusk Reliquary is now empty. Its dimensions are W 112mm x D 51mm x H 89mm.[3]
Past scholars suggested that Monymusk Reliquary was the Brecbennach of
Style
It is characterised by a mixture of Pictish artistic designs and Irish artistic traditions (perhaps first brought to Scotland by Irish missionaries in the sixth century), fused with Anglo-Saxon metalworking techniques, an artistic movement now classified as Insular or
The Brecbennoch
The Monymusk Reliquary was once believed to have contained relics of St.
History
The Monymusk Reliquary was perhaps at Forglen until the sixteenth century, when both Forglen and Monymusk came into the hands of the Forbes family. In 1712 it was transferred to Sir Francis Grant of Cullen. It stayed in the Grant collection until 1933, when it was due to be auctioned, but was acquired by the National Museum of Scotland first, with the help of the Art Fund. It is arguably one of the most important pieces in the museum's collection.[5]
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The casket and lid are each carved from a solid piece of wood, and covered in thin bronze and silver plates.[6]
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Side view
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From the style of its ornament, the reliquary is thought to have been made towards the beginning of the 8th century.[7]
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The silver plates are decorated with very faint interlacing animals and with bronze mounts featuring red enamel.[8]
References
- ^ Moss (2014), p. 286
- ^ History, Scottish; read, Archaeology 5 min. "Monymusk reliquary". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ The Monymusk Reliquary Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine at the National Museum of Scotland
- ^ The Monymusk Reliquary Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine at the National Museum of Scotland
- ^ History, Scottish; read, Archaeology 5 min. "Monymusk reliquary". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ History, Scottish; read, Archaeology 5 min. "Monymusk reliquary". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ History, Scottish; read, Archaeology 5 min. "Monymusk reliquary". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ History, Scottish; read, Archaeology 5 min. "Monymusk reliquary". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Bibliography
- Moss, Rachel. Medieval c. 400—c. 1600: Art and Architecture of Ireland. Yale University Press, 2014. ISBN 978-03-001-7919-4
- Wormald, Jenny (ed.), Scotland: A History, (Oxford, 2005), Plate 2, opp. p. 42
Further reading
- Caldwell, David H. (2001), "The Monymusk Reliquary: the Breccbennach of St Columba?", Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 131, archived from the original(PDF) on 17 January 2014
- Eeles, Francis C. (1933), "The Monymusk Reliquary" (PDF), Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 68, archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016
External links
- The Monymusk Reliquary at the National Museum of Scotland
- Friends of Grampian Stones (archive link)