Giovan Battista Foggini and Bernardo Holzmann, Reliquary of the Veil of Saint Agatha

Authors
Giovan Battista Foggini - Bernardo Holzmann
Date
1700-1714
Original location
Cathedral, treasure
Material
Silver, bronze, gold, crystal
Technique
Embossing, chiselling, engraving, gilding
Dimensions
Height: 88 cm; Width: 41 cm; Depth: 17 cm;

Multi-tablet reliquary with a mixtilinear base, housing a relic of the veil of Saint Agatha. The main panel hosts multiple mixtilinear reliquary cases adorned with silver scrolls, engraved with the identity of each relic. The structure is crowned by a large half shell nested between palm leaves, containing a crystal reliquary jar. In 1710 Cosimo III arranged for the construction of a reliquary for the relics of the Chiaromonte donation of 1439, to be offered to the Cathedral in exchange for other relics that had been donated. In 1714 this reliquary was ready: the work of Bernardo Holzmann and the Grand Ducal workshops, based on a design by the sculptor Vincenzo Foggini.

Discover the other artworks

Cappella delle Reliquie