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Source Description
Portable altars were used by Christians to celebrate the Mass while traveling. On one long side is depicted the Baptism of Christ, attended by a veiled woman, possibly representing the Church, and Christ in Majesty, surrounded by Evangelist symbols. On the other long side, John the Baptist and the Holy Women at the Tomb are shown. Originally, the figure of John the Baptist was part of the Baptism scene, but he was mistakenly placed with the Holy Women when the 11th-century plaques (perhaps from an altar panel) were reused in the 12th century to make this portable altar. A pair of apostles decorate both short sides. The rough, square opening at one end was made later, to remove the relic once sealed inside.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
12372
label
Portable Altar with Scenes of the Life of Christ
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
12372
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Portable Altar with Scenes of the Life of Christ
description
Portable altars were used by Christians to celebrate the Mass while traveling. On one long side is depicted the Baptism of Christ, attended by a veiled woman, possibly representing the Church, and Christ in Majesty, surrounded by Evangelist symbols. On the other long side, John the Baptist and the Holy Women at the Tomb are shown. Originally, the figure of John the Baptist was part of the Baptism scene, but he was mistakenly placed with the Holy Women when the 11th-century plaques (perhaps from an altar panel) were reused in the 12th century to make this portable altar. A pair of apostles decorate both short sides. The rough, square opening at one end was made later, to remove the relic once sealed inside.
provenance
Guldenpfennig, Paderborn; A. Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York; Henry Walters, Baltimore,1927, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
11th-12th century (Medieval)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Metal
altars (religious fixtures)
imageCount
5
pageCount
5
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
19
height
34
depth
19.3
dimensionsRaw
Overall: H: 7 1/2 × W: 13 3/8 × D: 7 5/8 in. (19 × 34 × 19.3 cm)
Source extras
cul
German
style
Romanesque
med
gilded copper, enamel, porphyry
creator_ids
6211
collection_ids
MED
exhibition_ids
3363
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
335f5a02fc93c9ea
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
24cb483baa305cc7
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
39c9fdcf717dc60d
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
4b5000c1d215d321
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
ce912c95383613eb
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no