Talisman of Charlemagne

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So-called talisman of Charlemagne, Musée du Palais du Tau , Reims - clearly recognizable the cross particles below the central gemstone
The talisman (here: back) is the only surviving piece of goldsmith's work that can, with some probability, be associated with the person of the ruler.

The talisman of Charlemagne is a Carolingian reliquary amulet that may have once been in the possession of Charlemagne and is now said to contain particles of the true cross of Christ . It is according to legend originally hairs of the Virgin and Virgin Mary have contained and at the opening of the tomb Karl in Aachen Cathedral by Otto III. was found in the year 1000 on the neck of the Frankish emperor . The talisman is now kept in the Musée du Palais du Tau in Reims (Inv.No. G 7).

description

The 7.3 cm high medallion is one of the rare goldsmith works preserved from the ninth century . This is less a sacred work of art than a reliquary for private purposes. The work was originally provided with two large sapphires in the middle - behind which the aforementioned hair of Mary was attached - but was replaced by a glass river in 1804 . The design of the piece of jewelery is characterized by lush gemstone and filigree ornamentation , but the figurative representations, colored enamels as well as animal or braided ribbon ornaments that are still common in older objects are now missing . Instead, filigree wires dominate the actual goldsmith's work alongside pearls and jewels in box and palmette settings ; The embossed arrow-shaped leaf ornaments between the filigree wire can be seen as a reminiscence of typical past motifs , but these do not look backwards at all here. In the shape of the amulet, three types of shapes permeate each other, each with a different meaning: On the one hand, it is based on the shape of Palestinian pilgrim ampoules, as they were widespread in the west, especially in the fifth and sixth centuries, and thus refers to the provenance of the once preserved Marian hair. In addition, in the conception, analogous to the Stephansburse , the emeralds together with the central stone create a cross shape. After all, the magnificent front appears first and foremost as a frame for the relic visible behind the translucent gemstone. A use as a remedy or to avert danger to a high-ranking person is obvious.

backgrounds

From a stylistic point of view, the reliquary can be viewed as a late work from Aachen from the time of Charlemagne.

This was in the Aachen Cathedral Treasury until 1804, but then came as a gift from Marc-Antoine Berdolet , the first bishop of Aachen , to Empress Joséphine , the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte , on the occasion of her visit to Aachen , who in turn gave it to daughter Hortense . It was not until 1919 that it came from the possession of Empress Eugénie to the Archbishop of Reims , Cardinal Louis Luçon , who ultimately incorporated the piece of jewelery into the treasure of the Abbey of Saint-Remi in Reims , now on display in the Palais du Tau . An exchange of the relics could also have taken place during this period.

Contemporary assessment

Karl's theological informant Alkuin (735–804) wrote in a letter to Archbishop Ethelhard of Canterbury that he should stop the emerging custom of wearing relics around the neck; for it was "better to imitate the models of the saints with the heart than to carry their bones around in sacks"; this is a "Pharisaic superstition".

literature

  • Franz Kaufmann: From the talisman of Charlemagne. Canon Anton Joseph Blees and the Aachen Cathedral Treasury at the time of the French Revolution. Two treatises on the history of the miner's treasure. Creutzer, Aachen 1920.
  • Blaise de Montesquiou-Fezensac: Le Talisman de Charlemagne. In: Art de France 2, 1962, pp. 68-76.
  • Jean Taleron: Le talisman de Charlemagne. In: Les monuments historiques de la France 12, 1966, pp. 24-43.
  • Ernst Günther Grimme : Goldsmithing in the Middle Ages. Form and meaning of the reliquary from 800 to 1500. M. DuMont Schauberg, Cologne 1972, ISBN 978-3-7701-0669-1 , pp. 21-23.
  • Ernst Günther Grimme (text), Ann Münchow (recordings): The Aachen Cathedral Treasure (= Aachener Kunstblätter. Vol. 42). Schwann, Düsseldorf 1973, No. 7, pp. 14-15.
  • Christoph Winterer: «The word of God, flashing in glorious splendor». Art in the circle of Charlemagne. In: Michael Imhof , Christoph Winterer: Charlemagne. Life and impact, art and architecture. Imhof, Petersberg 2013, ISBN 978-3-932526-61-9 , pp. 76–117, here p. 104.
  • Georg Minkenberg , Sisi Ben Kayed: Lost Treasures. Former treasures from the Aachen cathedral treasure. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-7954-2834-1 , p. 20.
  • Thomas Labusiak : "He gave the church many sacred vessels made of gold and silver." Goldsmithing in the time of Charlemagne. In: Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (ed.): Charlemagne - Charlemagne. Karl's art. Catalog of the special exhibition Karls Kunst from June 20 to September 21, 2014 in the Center Charlemagne , Aachen. Sandstein, Dresden 2014, ISBN 978-3-95498-093-2 , pp. 75–93, here pp. 90–92.

Web links

Commons : Talisman of Charlemagne  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Thomas Labusiak: "He gave the church many sacred vessels made of gold and silver." Goldsmithing in the time of Charlemagne. In: Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (ed.): Charlemagne - Charlemagne. Karl's art. Dresden 2014, pp. 75–93, here p. 92.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Imhof, Winterer: Charlemagne. Life and impact, art and architecture. P. 104.
  3. ^ Imhof, Winterer: Charlemagne. Life and impact, art and architecture. P. 102.
  4. ↑ Georg Minkenberg, Sisi Ben Kayed: Lost Treasures. Former treasures from the Aachen cathedral treasure. P. 20.
  5. ↑ " Melius est in corde sanctorum imitari exempla quam in sacculis portare ossa […] Haec est pharisaica superstitio ", Monumenta Alcuiniana p. 719 ( online ).