Some of the most precious and finely wrought objects of the Middle Ages were made for use in the liturgical service of the church. Crosses and censers were carried in procession, while reliquaries, caskets, and shrines held the remains of saints or objects associated with them. Because of the sacred function of these objects, they were made of the most valuable materials available: ivory, bronze, enamel, rock crystal, and gold. Through their hallowed contents or their liturgical function, these objects provided access to the divine, yet they were also displays of wealth and craftsmanship. Censers and vessels were cast in bronze, while other objects, such as caskets and reliquaries, were assembled from a wooden core and covered with ivory, enamel, and gilded metal. Often, if such costly materials were out of reach, wood or other modest materials were painted and gilded to resemble them.
Although small, this plaque probably once ornamented a great reliquary shrine of a type for which Cologne, Germany, is well known. Nail holes in the sides show where the plaque would have been attached to a larger object, and an inscribed number “VI” on the reverse is likely a marker for its placement on the object or shrine. Unlike most enamels, this plaque combines two techniques: champlevé, in which the cells for the enamel are carved out of the copper plate, as is apparent in the turquoise border of the plaque and in the large blue and gold sections, and cloisonné, where the cells for the enamel are constructed with small wires soldered to the copper surface, as seen in the small white flowers. Enamels made in Cologne were much admired for the combination of these two techniques.
