Art Institute of Chicago

Reliquary Monstrance with a Tooth of Saint John the Baptist

Weddeghe Velstede (German, active 1432-73)

Date

1433; container: 900/1200

Medium

Silver gilt, rock crystal, textile, and human remains

Culture

Germany

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This reliquary uses the form of a miniature Gothic tower. It makes an elaborate architectural frame for a transparent rock-crystal vessel holding a relic that is identified as a tooth of Saint John the Baptist by an inscription along the base of the reliquary. Rock crystal was highly prized in the medieval Islamic world. Considered a precious stone, it was used to create a number of luxurious secular objects, including this vessel, which was probably originally intended to be a container for fragrant oils.

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