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Plaque with Seated Prophet from a Reliquary Shrine: Heliseus (Elisha)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePlaque with Seated Prophet from a Reliquary Shrine: Heliseus (Elisha), c. 1170–80. Germany, Lower Saxony, Hildesheim, Romanesque period, 12th century. Gilded copper, champlevé enamel; overall: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.3 cm (3 7/16 x 2 5/16 x 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1950.574.b
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