Suger's Eagle
Suger's Eagle (Aigle de Suger) is an ancient Egyptian porphyry vase mounted in a medieval silver-gilt eagle.[1] It is now displayed along with the French regalia in the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre.[2]
The vase likely dates to the second century AD.[3] According to Suger, abbot of Saint-Denis, in his De administratione, he found, "lying idly in a chest for many years, an Egyptian porphyry vase admirably shaped and polished."[1] In his own words, he determined to adapt and transfer (adaptavimus ... transferre) it into a liturgical vessel "in the form of an eagle" (in aquilae formam), a symbol of Christ.[4] Suger's Eagle is a typical case of the "careful preservation of the ancient relic in a setting which leaves it completely intact."[4] On the bottom of the eagle is a nielloed titulus: "This stone deserves to have mounts of gold and gems. / It was marble. Its settings are more precious than marble."[1] Inscribed around the base of the neck, above the lip of the vessel, is a dedication to the church of Saint-Denis.[4] The goldwork of the neck demonstrates superb chiselwork.[5]
Two large engravings from 1706 depict the treasure of Saint-Denis (including the eagle vase) as it was then displayed, in a cabinet. Its popularity as a tourist attraction prevented the treasure's total destruction during the French Revolution.[6] The eagle and three of Suger's other liturgical vessels—Queen Eleanor's vase and King Roger's decanter, both of rock crystal, and a sardonyx ewer—ended up in the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre.[2]
Notes
- 1 2 3 Verdier 1990, p. 13.
- 1 2 Verdier 1990, p. 23.
- ↑ Heckscher 1938, p. 216 n. 3, citing Delbrück 1932, p. 203
- 1 2 3 Heckscher 1938, pp. 216–17.
- ↑ Stratford 1981, p. 509.
- ↑ Stratford 1991, pp. 337–38.
Sources
- Delbrück, Richard (1932). Antike Porphyrwerke. Leipzig: De Gruyter.
- Evans, Joan (1932). "Die Adlervase des Sugerius". Pantheon. 10: 221–23.
- Heckscher, W. S. (1938). "Relics of Pagan Antiquity in Mediæval Settings". Journal of the Warburg Institute. 1 (3): 204–20.
- Stratford, Neil (1981). "New York: The Cloisters". The Burlington Magazine. 123 (941): 499–509.
- Stratford, Neil (1991). "Le Trésor de St-Denis: Paris, Louvre". The Burlington Magazine. 133 (1058): 337–39.
- Verdier, Philippe (1990). "The Chalice of Abbot Suger". Studies in the History of Art. 24: 9–29.
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