Binding Plate: The Crucifixion

Binding Plates: Christ's 
Majesty, Crucifixion
Limoges, 1st quarter of the 13th century
Copper champlevé, enamelled and gilded
Glass beads in the centre, enamels
Cl 971 a and b

These plates hold a place of their own among enamelled bindings, since, exceptionally, they were discovered still attached to their original wooden plank. Although the Crucifixion plate is very well preserved, that of Christ in Majesty has been retooled: the lion and the ox, symbols of Saint Mark and Saint Luke, which were located in the lower part of the central plate, are missing. Modern glass beads have been added to fill in these gaps. These two plates are charateristic of enamelled productions in the Limousin area at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. The fast execution of the ornamental decor and absence of certain detail show that the workshop which produced this binding had already begun an "industrial" production phase. This tends to date these plates between 1200 and 1220.