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Treasured Beliefs

The Cleveland Museum of Art focuses on religious relics in its newest exhibit.
Griff Mann, the chief curator of the Cleveland Museum of Art, settles himself into a neon orange plastic chair in the institution's educational wing. It's a seat he knows quite well. Eighteen years ago, after graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts, Mann worked as an intern in the museum's educational department.

"In some ways, coming back here feels like a homecoming," he says. "In other ways, it feels like I'm working in an entirely new place."

When Mann arrived here in 1992, the museum was in the midst of a three-year project to revamp its Italian Renaissance art collection. When he returned in 2008, the museum was in the midst of overhauling its entire structure. Mann likes the idea of change. "It's a chance to rethink collections and the stories they tell," he says.

One of the stories he's most excited for museum visitors to learn about is that of medieval art. "This is a period of time where the concept of art didn't really exist," Mann explains. "Art was embedded in the fiber of society in a way that is hard for us to comprehend."

Viewers can see a visual representation of this concept when Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe opens Oct. 17. All the pieces in the collection are carefully crafted with intricate detailing and stunning jeweled adornments — yet none of these pieces were constructed as mere acts of beauty. They were all built to glorify the holy sacraments they contained — including the ashes, bones and body parts of Christian saints.

The work, says Mann, was meant to connect people between our world and the underworld.


HERE ARE SOME OF MANNS FAVORITE OBJECTS FROM TREASURES OF HEAVEN.

Reliquary Bust of St. Baudime
I think more than any other object, this is an object that still kind of has an aura of power that surrounds it, Mann says. The factual recreation of St. Baudimes face and body made of a walnut core and gilded in copper looks like the bust is glimmering and glistening, Mann explains. The sculpture is nearly life-size, so Baudimes eyes seem to stare back at you. Its a riveting experience to stare at [a statue] the same height as you and look directly into his face.

Reliquary Box with Stones from the Holy Land
In the sixth century, pilgrims traveled to the Holy Land in the hopes of collecting relics from Christs original path. It was one of the earliest forms of souvenir collecting, Mann says. This wooden box is painted with five scenes from Christs life: the Nativity, Christs baptism, his Crucifixion, the holy women at the tomb, and the Ascension. Mann is amazed that the piece has survived through the centuries. Its such a unique object. Theres nothing else like it. Its from a very, very early time in medieval history.

Portable Altar of Countess Gertrude
In the Middle Ages, church Mass was oftentimes taken on the road. But in order to perform a legal service, church leaders needed a portable altar that contained official relics, consecrated by the bishop. Its one of several [church objects] produced by a female patron, Mann says. It shows the importance of women as patrons in the foundation of the church institution.

Head of St. Eustace
Although it looks solid from the outside, the Head of St. Eustace is actually hollowed out inside, Mann says. Its believed to contain actual skull fragments from the real St. Eustaces corpse. This is an important piece, Mann says, because it helps explain a change in Christian thinking. For many centuries Christians were weary of 3-D sculptures because of their connotations with idolatry, he says. But in the years 1000 to 1100 in Western Europe, people wanted to create suitable vessels for their relics.

Set of Reliquary Boxes
Just like Russian nesting dolls, these reliquary boxes are three different containers, hidden inside one another. The third golden box protects a finger bone, a fragment from a shoulder blade and a small piece of wood. The boxes are beautiful and fascinating, Mann says. Works of art in themselves.

museums & galleries

12:00 AM EST

August 18, 2010

Story:

Rebecca Meiser

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