The Lothair Crystal (also known as the Lothar Crystal or the Susanna Crystal) is an
engraved gem from
Lotharingia in northwest Europe, showing scenes of the
biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
story of
Susanna, dating from 855–869.
The Lothair Crystal is an object in the collection of the
British Museum.
Description
The original element of the work is a circular disc of clear
quartz ("rock crystal"), measuring in diameter. This is engraved in
intaglio with eight scenes depicting the story of
Susanna and the Elders, related in the
Book of Daniel (but regarded as part of the
Apocrypha by Protestants). Susanna is first shown being falsely accused and condemned for adultery by the elders.
Daniel
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
intervenes to question the elders, uncovers their false witness and engineers their execution by stoning. In the final scene, Susanna is declared to be innocent. The scenes are accompanied by brief
inscriptions in
Latin drawn from the
Vulgate Bible.
The engravings on the crystal are executed in the energetic and distinctive early mediæval Rheims style which originated in
manuscript drawings such as those in the
Utrecht Psalter.
The crystal is surrounded by a 15th-century gilt-copper mount with a foliage border,
which was once attributed to
Saint Eligius (c. 588 – 660), the
patron saint of
goldsmiths.
Dating
The crystal is inscribed ''LOTHARIVS REX FRANCORVM IVSSIT'' ("Lothair, King of the
Franks, caused
his to be made), apparently
Lothair II
Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder.
Reign
For political ...
, or "Lothar" in German.
The elder Lothair styled himself ''
imperator
The Latin word ''imperator'' derives from the stem of the verb la, imperare, label=none, meaning 'to order, to command'. It was originally employed as a title roughly equivalent to ''commander'' under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part o ...
'' (emperor), whereas the younger man only called himself ''rex'' (king), as does the owner of the crystal; it is therefore probable that it was created in Lothair II's time, probably around the middle of the 9th century, making it a late example of
Carolingian art.
History
Nothing is known of the history of the Lothair Crystal prior to the 10th century. Around this time, it was pawned between a
count and a
canon of
Rheims in exchange for a horse. The canon then denied possession of the crystal.
It was later discovered to be in his possession when the canon was smoked out of the cathedral when it was set alight. In
penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...
, he founded
Waulsort Abbey (in modern
Belgium), where the crystal was held until the 18th century. During part of this period, it was utilised by the abbots to fasten their
copes during mass.
In 1793,
revolutionary French forces sacked Waulsort and threw the crystal into the
Meuse river, reputedly cracking it in the process.
In the 19th century it was stolen and stripped of its jewels.
It reappeared in the hands of a Belgian dealer, who claimed it had been retrieved from the river bed and sold it to a French collector for twelve
francs. It passed to the British
Liberal politician
Ralph Bernal, who paid
£10 for it. In 1855 it was acquired by
Augustus Wollaston Franks on behalf of the British Museum in an auction of Bernal's collection at
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
for £267.
The Lothair Crystal was Object 53 in the 2010
BBC Radio 4 programme ''
A History of the World in 100 Objects'', chosen and presented by the Director of the British Museum,
Neil MacGregor.
Interpretation
The crystal is one of a small number of Carolingian engraved gems created for the circles around the court, although its form does not closely resemble any of the others. A gem with Lothair's portrait that was probably his personal seal was set a hundred years after his death into the processional
Cross of Lothair
The Cross of Lothair or Lothair Cross (german: Lotharkreuz) is a '' crux gemmata'' (jewelled cross) processional cross dating from about 1000 AD, though its base dates from the 14th century. It was made in Germany, probably at Cologne. It is an ...
in
Aachen Cathedral
Aachen Cathedral (german: Aachener Dom) is a Roman Catholic church in Aachen, Germany and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen.
One of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, it was constructed by order of Emperor Charlemagne, who was buri ...
. A number of interpretations have been advanced for the crystal's function as well as its meaning and significance to the Lotharingian court; its meaning is unclear and it has been the subject of ongoing controversy among scholars.
The subject matter of the crystal suggests that it was meant to be shown at court as a symbol of the king's role in the dispensation of justice.
Its design may be an allusion to the breastplate of justice worn by the
Kohen Gadol (the Jewish High Priest).
Under this interpretation, the crystal may have been an attempt to show visually the ruler's responsibility to provide justice, using a biblical parallel to exhort him to uphold the ideal of wise rule exemplified by the just kings of the Old Testament. Alternatively, the subject of the crystal symbolises an idealised relationship between Church and state, with Susanna representing the Church being protected from her enemies by the just decisions of the ruler.
Valerie Flint has argued that the crystal is related to the acrimonious divorce of Lothair and his wife Theutberga, whom he accused of committing
incest and practicing
abortion. It depicts the vindication of a wife falsely accused of a sexual crime, and the type of rock crystal from which it is made was used by the
Franks as an amulet. Flint suggests that the crystal was designed in 865, when Lothar had a temporary reconciliation with his wife, to serve both as a reproach to the king for his conduct and as a charm to protect the royal couple against evil.
See also
*
Cross of Lothair
The Cross of Lothair or Lothair Cross (german: Lotharkreuz) is a '' crux gemmata'' (jewelled cross) processional cross dating from about 1000 AD, though its base dates from the 14th century. It was made in Germany, probably at Cologne. It is an ...
*
Saint-Denis Crystal
The Saint-Denis Crystal or ''Cristal de Saint-Denis'' is a Caroligian engraved gem depicting the crucifixion of Christ, that was originally held in the treasury of the Abbey of Saint-Denis in France. During the French Revolution many pieces in the ...
References
Further reading
*
*
Flint, Valerie I. J. "Susanna and the Lothar Crystal: A Liturgical Perspective". ''Early Medieval Europe'' 4:1 (1995), 61–86.
*
External links
British Museum page on the Lothair Crystal*
{{British Museum
9th-century sculptures
Art depicting people in the deuterocanonical books
Carolingian art
Medieval European sculptures
Individual hardstone carvings
Medieval European objects in the British Museum
Medieval European metalwork objects