hysicaldescription

Coppergiltwithchamplevenamel,borderedbystripsofcoppergilt,setwithsixsemipreciousstonesandpartlydecoratedwithvernisbrun
(brownvarnish),allmountedonawoodenbase.Thiswoodenbase,theslidinglatchandsomeofthemetalborderstripsareprobablyninteenth
century.DepictstheNewTestamentscenesoftheCrucifixion,theResurrectionandtheDeliveryfromSatanandOldTestamentscenesbelieved
toprefigurethem.

PlaceofOrigin
Cologne(possibly,made)

Date
ca.1150(made)

Artist/maker
Unknown

MaterialsandTechniques
Enamel,wood,coppergilt

Marksandinscriptions
INCRVCEXPC(sicXP[IST]O)OBITPTHO(sicP[RO]THO)PLASTIDEBITASOLVIT
Christdiesonthecrossandrepaysthedebtsofthefirstcreatedman.

SI[M]PLADVPLA[M]MORTE[M]PELLITTRIDVANAPHENNE.

LikethePhoenix,rebornafterthreedays,[He]triumphsoverdeathtwice.

FORTIORHICFOR[ITER]CAPTVSSPOLIATP[RE]MITHOSTE[M]
Heleadscaptivitycaptiveandtreadsthefoeunderfoot.

CEVIONAMCETVMSICREDDITTERRASEPVLTVM

JustasthewhalegavebackJonah,sotheearthgivesbackHimwhohasbeenburied.

PROLAPSVMVNDIFITFELIVSMOSTIA(sicHOSTIA)PATRI

Forthefalloftheworld,thesonbecomestheHost,offeredtothefather.

HAMVSQVODPISCIFITLEVIATHANCAROXP[IST]I

Baitforthefish,thefleshofChristbecomesahookforLeviathan.

VIVENTVIVERI(sicQVIVERI)CORPUSTANGVNTHELISEI
WhotouchesthebodyofthetruElishawilllive.

QVOSSERPENSLACERATSERPENTISIMAGOREFORMAT
Thosewhotheserpentbites,theimageoftheserpentrestores.

SICERACTIS(sicFRACTIS)PORTIS...[THE]OSAVERTDEBITAMORPIS(sicMORTIS).
Havingthuspulledoffthegates,Godtakesawaythepenaltyofdeath.

Dimensions
Height:36.2cm,Width:44.7cm,Depth:11.8cm

Objecthistorynote
AnobjectcloselymatchingthedescriptionofthistriptychwasdescribedbyA.W.N.PugininhisGlossaryofEcclesiasticalOrnamentand
Costumeof1844.ThetriptychPugindescribesisnotedasinthepossessionofTheEarlofShrewsbury.Thepresenttriptychwasfirstexhibited
in1853andacquiredbythemuseumfromthecollectionoftheEarlofShrewsburyofAltonTowers,Staffordshire,in1858.Itwaspresumedto
havebeeninEnglandforsometimebutnothingmoreisknownofitsorigins.

Historicalcontextnote
Theoriginofthetriptychisdisputed.Thestyleoftheenamel,withfiguresentirelyengravedandgiltagainstanenamelledbackground,andthe
coolrangeofcoloursusedhavesomeresemblancetotheworkofthegoldsmithsworkinginandaroundCologneintheRhineland(hencethe
termRhenish),inparticularinthestyleofElibertusofCologne,themakerofaportablealtarnowintheKunstgewerbemuseum,Berlin.However,
thetypologicaliconographyandthedivisionofthecompositionintocomplexgeometricalareasismorecharacteristicofMosanillumination.As
analtarpiecethetriptychisanoddityalso.ItisconsiderablysmallerthancontemporaryaltarpiecessuchasthoseinthenationalMuseumin
Copenhagen,orthatintheMusedeCluny,originallyfromtheAbbeyofStavelot.

Itisfarcloserinsizeaswellasinshapetoanumberofreliquarytriptychsoftheperiod,notablythatfromSte.CroixinLigeandtheStavelot
triptychnowinthePierpontMorganLibrary,NewYork.Ithasbeensuggestedthatthepresentframe,andmanyofitsmetalfixings,maydate
fromthenineteenthcentury,anditseemsnotunlikelythattheoriginalframemayhaveincorporatedarelicorrelics,sothatthetriptych
functionedoriginallyasareliquary.

ThecentralpanelofthetriptychcontainsNewTestamentantitypeswhilethetwosidepanelscontainparallelOldTestamenttypes.Thescenes
depictedonthetriptycharereadacross.InthetoprowofcirclesaretheResurrectionanditstypes,intheupturnedsquarestheCrucifixionis
flankedbyitsbestknownprecursors,andatthebottominthecirclesistheHarrowingofHellwithitstypes.Thescenesandtheeventswhich
theyprefigureareboundtogetherincirclesandsquaresbyinterlockinginscribedbands.Thebandsunifytheparallelsceneshorizontallyby
enclosingtheminthesamegeometricforms.Someofthetypologicalscenesarecommontoartoftheperiod,howeverthetriptychfeatures
deviationsfromstandardMosaniconographywhichaccordingtoKatzoffpointtoadateinthelastquarterofthetwelfthcenturyandtoRhenish
origin.

ThetopsceneinthecentralfieldistheHolyWomenattheSepulchrewhichconformstotheusualrepresentationsofthistreatmentofthe
resurrection.AllthegospelsmentiontheholywomenwhowerethefirsttodiscovertheemptytombfollowingChrist'sresurrection,butthereis
littleagreementastowhotheywere.OnthetriptychthisresurectionsceneisaccompaniedbytheJonahstorydepictedontheleftwingofthe
objectandElisha'sbonesresurrectingadeadmandepictedontherightwing.WhiletheJonahsceneconflatestwowellknownscenesfromthe
lifeofJonah,hisbeingswallowedandhisbeingspatout,theElishasceneisuniqueandandtheartistresponsiblemayhaveinventedthe
iconography.

Inthesecondregister,thecentralimageisthatoftheCrucifixionandthisisaccompaniedbyonthelefttheSacrificeofIsaacandontheright
Mosesandthebrazenserpent.Bothofthesetypesappearinothersurvivingenamelworkfromtheperiod,withthebrazenserpentstory
particularlypopular.Althoughthetypeiscommon,thereisonlyoneotherknownrepresentationwhichshowstheserpentwithtailcoiledaround
it'scolumnandthatisintheResurrectionwindowatChlonssurMarne(whichinotherrespectspresentsclearaffinitieswiththeStavelot
triptych).AsimilarrepresentationoftheIsaacsceneoccurrsontheBalfourCiborium,alsointhecollectionoftheVictoriaandalbertMuseum
(Museumnumber:M.11981),whichappearstoderivefromthesamepictorialsourceormodeltraditionastheIsaacsceneonthetriptych.

Inthebottomregisterofthetriptych,thecentralsceneisthatoftheHarrowingofHell,Christ'sdescentintotheunderworldandthefinaldefeatof
theDevil.Thetypeswhichaccompanythissceneandemphasisedefeatofanenemy,are:theCatchingofLeviathanontheleftwingand
SamsoncarryingthegatesofGazaontherightwing.Bothofthesetypesareatypical.InthescenedepictingtheCatchingofLeviathan,which
doesnotusuallyappearintypologicalsequences,itisChristwhoholdstherod,identifiedbyhisredhalo.SinceChristcannotprefigurehimself
KatzoffrecommendsthatthesceneisreadasaNewTestamentillustrationofanOldTestamenttext.JobandLeviathandoappearinstained
glassatChlonssurMarnehoweverKatzoffproposestextualratherthanpictorialsourcesfortheimageonthetriptych,citingsurviving
manuscriptmaterial.

ThepairingofSamsonandtheHarrowingofHellisalsounusual.TherearenootherenamelexamplesofthistypologyasSamsonisusually
pairedwiththeResurrection.TheonlyotherknownoccurrenceofthepairingisonthevaultofStMaryLyskircheinColognebuiltin1220.

Theprogrammeofdecorationincludesmedallionsofcosmologicalsignificance.Inthecentralfieldtherearesixmedallionsidentifiedby
accompanyinginscriptionsasSol,LunaandKaritas,MareTerraandJusticia.Suchpersonifications,thoughcommontotheRhineandMeuse
regions,findtheiroriginsintheclassicalAntiquity.

Descriptiveline
Gildedcopperwithchamplevenamelstheenamelledpanelsremountedonthepresentwoodensupportinthe19thcentury,Germany,possibly
Rhineland,orFrance,perhapsLorraine,ca.1150,formerlyinthecollectionoftheEarlsofShrewsburyatAltonTowers,Staffordshire

BibliographicReferences(Citation,Note/Abstract,NALno)
Williamson,P.edandCampbell,M.TheMedievalTreasury(V&APublications,London,1986)pp134135
Campbell,Marian,AnIntroductiontoMedievalEnamels,London:HMSO,1983,p.21,pl.13

Shaw,H.Thedecorativearts,ecclesiasticalandcivil,oftheMiddleAges(London,W.Pickering,1851)p.2

Pippal.MBeobachtungenzur'zweiten'ostermorgenplatteamklastomenburgerambodesNicolausvonVerdun(WienerJahrbuckfur
kunstgeschichte,xxxv,1982)pp107119

Katzoff,N.TheAltonTowersTriptych:Time,PlaceandContext(RutgersUniversityArtReviewIIIJanuary1982)pp.1128
Halbach,M.DasTriptychonvonAltonTowersimVictoria&AlbertMuseum(MAthesis,UniversityofVienna2006)

Grodecki,L."AproposdesvitrauxdeChalonssurMarne:deuxpointsd'iconographiemosane"inFrancastel,P.(ed.)L'artmosan(Paris,A.
Colin,1953)pp.16170

Gauthier,M.,LesEmauxmeridionauxduMoyenAge,(Fribourg,1972),pp.139141,cat.97,pp.3523

Descatoire,Christine.Catalogueentry,'Letriptyqued'AltonTowers'.In:UneRenaissance:L'artentreFlandreetChampagne11501250.
CatalogueoftheexhibitionheldattheMusedel'htelSandelin,SaintOmer,5April30June2013andMusedeClunymusenationaldu
Moyenge,Paris,17April15July2013.Paris:Runiondesmusesnationaux,2013.ISBN9782711860807

Krischel,Roland.'Bilder,dieklappen.ZurKinetikreligiserGemldeimsptmittelalterlichenKln'.WallrafRichartzJahurbuch,vol.75,2014,
pp.51130

Labelsanddate
TRIPTYCH

Coppergiltwithchamplevenamel,partlydecoratedwithvernisbrun,setonawoodenbase.

RHENISH(Cologne?)

About1150,thewoodenbaseandmanyofmetalmountsprobably19thcentury.

ThethemeoftheRedemptionishereillustratedbyscenesfromtheNewTestamentonthecentralpanel,whichareparalleledonthewingsby
scenesfromtheOldTestamentconsideredtoprefigurethem.TheCrucifixionisthusplacedbetweentheSacrificeofIsaacbyAbraham
(Genesis22,9),andMosesandthebrazenserpent(Numbers21,9)theHolyWomenattheSepulchrebetweenJonahandtheWhale(Jonah
1,17)andElisharaisingadeadman(IIKings12,21)TheHarrowingofHellbetweentheCatchingofLeviathan(Job41,1)andSamsoncarrying
thegatesofGaza(Judges16,3).

AcquiredfromtheCollectionoftheEarlofShrewsburyofAltonTowers,Staffordshire.[2006]
THEALTONTOWERSTRIPTYCH

Champlevenameloncoppergilt,thebordersstampedandengravedonafoundationofoak.InthecentretheCrucifixion,withtheVisitofthe
holywomentotheSepulchreandtheHarrowingofHell.Onthewings,OldTestamenttypesoftheRedemptionJonahandthewhale,Abraham
sacrificingIsaac,Leviathancaughtwithahook,adeadmanraisedbyMosesandthebrazenserpent,andSamsoncarryingoffthegatesof
Gaza.Thesubjectsareaccompaniedbyrhyminginscriptions.Chalcedonybosses,insilvercolletsreplacethestoneswithwhichitwasoriginally
set.

Mosanabout1150[]

Materials
EnamelWoodCoppergilt

Techniques
EnamellingGilding

Subjectsdepicted
SerpentHellCrossGates

Categories
ReligionMetalworkChristianity

Collection
MetalworkCollection