Plaque: Seated Prophet from a Reliquary Shrine

1170–1180

Medium: gilded copper, champlevé enamel
Dimensions: Average: 9 x 5.7 x 0.3 cm (3 9/16 x 2 1/4 x 1/8 in.)
Genre: Enamel
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art

Tags

Germany, Lower Saxony, Hildesheim?, Romanesque period, 12th century

About

Once used as decorations for a reliquary shrine, each enamel plaque represents a biblical prophet: Isaiah, Obadiah, Elisha, and Hosea. Fine gold dots punctuate dark blue backgrounds. Typical of Hildesheim enamels, this detailing creates the illusion that the prophets sit against star-studded twilight skies.