Reliquary - Styles and Influences
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Reliquary Bust in Shape of a Female Saint
The Rhine region; ca. 1330
The round face of the saint, probably Ursula, with a broad smile, narrow eyes and wavy hair parted in the middle does not differ from other similar reliquaries. Wide ribbon tied in the middle of the forehead is placed exactly where the crown of the head on wooden reliquaries formed a lid.
The usual deep plunging neckline is here replaced by a very narrow one. A trefoil cavity where relics were inserted is placed in the middle of the saint's chest. A hardly recognizable royal coat of arms with heraldic sign in the form of an ermine is carved on the back.