Achasse,châsse orbox reliquary is a shape commonly used in medieval metalwork forreliquaries and other containers. To the modern eye the form resembles a house, though a tomb or church was more the intention,[1] with an oblong base, straight sides and two sloping top faces meeting at a central ridge, often marked by a raised strip and decoration. From the sides there are therefore triangular "gable" areas.
The casket usually stands on straight stumpy feet, and there is a hinged opening to allow access, either one of the panels, but not on the front face, or the wooden bottom; there is usually a lock.[2] The shape possibly developed from a similar shape ofsarcophagus that goes back toEtruscan art, or fromEarly MedievalInsular art, where there are a number ofhouse-shaped shrines, reliquaries orcumdachs ("book-shrines"), with similar shapes. TheMonymusk Reliquary is typical of these, having four sloping panels above, so no "gables". A 13th-century example of the fully-sloping type is the chasse ofSaint Exupère inLimoges enamel (see gallery of images, below). The word derives, via the Frenchchâsse, from the Latincapsa, meaning "box".[3]
In English the word may or may not be italicised, and if it is may use the Frenchcircumflex:châsse. Regardless of the form used, the term in English is normally only used of "house"-shaped boxes, usually enamelled ones, whereas in French it is a general term for reliquaries with a box, "shrine" or casket form, of any shape, and tends to be used especially for larger examples.
The chasse shape was also used for most of the much larger, and far grander, reliquary shrines made by goldsmiths for cathedrals and great monasteries, like theReliquary Shrine of Saint Eleutherius in thecathedral of Tournai, but these featured elaborate three-dimensional decoration, with gold or silver-gilt the predominant impression. These are less often described as chasses in English, though they are likely to be so termed in French, where the termchâsse mostly refers to largesarcophagus-sized reliquaries. In larger chasses the shape may be more complex, as in theShrine of the Three Kings inCologne, which has "side-roofs" like an aisled church.
The development of thechamplevé enamel technique made enamel decoration far easier and so cheaper than the previous fiddlycloisonné process, and enabled much larger surfaces to be covered in a single firing. The enamel chasse was developed to exploit these new possibilities. By the 12th century, theRomanesque chasse had become popular as a relatively cheap form for reliquaries, especially for theenamelled caskets made inLimoges and Spain, which were exported all over Europe.[4]
Limoges was on one of the mainpilgrim routesto Santiago de Compostela, which probably helped distribution.[5] These were made round a wooden core, usually consisting of seven pieces ofoak which were primed and painted,[1] to which fairly thin sheets ofcopper decorated in champlevé enamel andgilding were nailed with pins with rounded gilt heads. The flat panels were fired before the box was assembled around the wooden core, using "assembling marks" on the wood and the rear of the metal plates. In the late 14th century a new all-metal method of construction was developed, with chasses "fitted together by an ingenious system of slots, lugs, anddovetails".[6] There were sometimes gems, usually in fact made of glass,[5] set on the faces, and especially into the roof-ridge, which often has finials and a row of keyhole shaped openings.
Though still luxury products, enamel chasses were cheap compared to a custom-made object from a goldsmith, and the effect impressive and colourful. The solidity of the boxes, and the difficulty of recovering the relatively low value of the gold used, has meant a high survival rate compared to other types of medieval metalwork, at least for religious chasses; over 700 medieval Limoges chasses survive, often in very good condition.[1] In the earlier examples only the figures and decorative roundels were enamelled, but in the 13th century this was usually reversed, with an enamelled background, generally dominated by blue, and figures just engraved and gilded. A group from the end of the 12th century with some sixty survivals have enamelled figures and "vermiculated" gilded backgrounds "incised in a pattern of densely interwoven vine scrolls and tendrils".[7] Often, as in the examples illustrated, the heads alone were modelled in relief, but sometimes whole figures, usually by hammering from behind into a mould. After several decades they were being produced by workshops in large numbers, using standard patterns, and could be afforded by relatively small parish churches.[8]
The shape was used for other purposes, and secular designs were made, although far fewer of these have survived. The enamel workshops modified their style slightly to reflect the coming ofthe Gothic, and were still producing chasses in the 14th century and beyond, although quality had by now fallen somewhat, and the best quality enamel work was now in the newbasse-taille technique.[9] Production was already in decline, but the industry never recovered from thesack of Limoges in 1370 by the English underEdward, the Black Prince. Limoges had been part of thePlantaganet "Angevin Empire" since 1150, but the city had annoyed the Black Prince by surrendering to the French earlier, and 3,000 of the citizens are said to have been killed in the sack.
Many enamel chasses had static subjects including angels, standing saints andChrist in Majesty, but narrative subjects were also popular, including the story of the ThreeBiblical Magi, usually in two scenes, theJourney of the Magi above andAdoration of the Magi on the main face, the latter featuring on some 26 Limoges chasses. Their three bodies had been "rediscovered" nearMilan in 1158, and were translated to the magnificentShrine of the Three Kings inCologne Cathedral in 1164;[10] It has been suggested that fragments of the old stone Milan shrine were treated as relics, explaining the demand for Magi reliquaries.[11]
The murder ofThomas Becket,Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170, was rapidly followed by hiscanonisation in 1173, and became a very common subject on chasses, with 52 surviving, usually showing his burial above and murder below, as in theBecket Casket in theV&A Museum in London.[12] Becket's body was carefully preserved, but pieces of his clothes and other possessions were treated as relics, and were deliberately widely distributed byCanterbury to promote his cult from the 1170s until about 1220.[13]
The otherwise obscureSaint Valerie came fromLimoges, and has 22 surviving chasses showing her life, reflecting her popularity in the region; the lives ofSaint Stephen, dedicatee ofLimoges Cathedral andSaint Martial, its first bishop, are also represented on chasses.[14] Figures of saints on chasses often lack identifyingattributes, enabling purchasers to identify them with whatever saints they chose, or needed to match their relics.[15] The most elaborate designs usually only appear on the front and sides; the rear faces, usually not visible, are typically more simply decorated with geometric patterns or beasts in roundels rather than figure compositions.[16]
Authority control databases: National |
|---|