Figured Shrine of Saint Thomas Becket

Figured shrine
of Saint Thomas 
Becket
Limoges, ca. 1190-1200
 Champlevé enamel, copper and 
gold
H. 0.15 m; L. 0.166 m
Acq.,1987 ; Cl. 23296

Chancellor of England and Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket was assassinated 29 December 1170, in his cathedral, whilst he was celebrating Mass. He was canonised in 1173 and his relics can be found throughout Europe. Workshops established in Limoges and specialised in enamel technique supplied many relics in the form of shrines. The enamellers often decorated the shrine with an episode from the life of the saint contained within. The main face of this relic depicts the assassination of Thomas Becket; the top shows his burial. His murder made him a martyr and the assassination scene was one of the most popular themes found on Limoges reliquaries. Two of the 51 shrines still in existence are kept in this museum.