Suger's Eagle (''Aigle de Suger'') is an ancient Egyptian porphyry

vase A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non-rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree species ...

mounted in a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

silver-gilt eagle. It is now displayed along with the French regalia in the

Galerie d'Apollon The Galerie d'Apollon is a large and iconic room of the Louvre Palace, on the first (upper) floor of a wing known as the Petite Galerie. Its current setup was first designed in the 1660s. It has been part of the Louvre Museum since the 1790s, was ...

at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

. The vase likely dates to the second century AD. According to Abbot

Suger Suger (; la, Sugerius; 1081 – 13 January 1151) was a French abbot, statesman, and historian. He once lived at the court of Pope Calixtus II in Maguelonne, France. He later became abbot of St-Denis, and became a close confidant to King Lo ...

, abbot of Saint-Denis (d. 1151), in his ''De administratione'', he found, "lying idly in a chest for many years, an Egyptian porphyry vase admirably shaped and polished." 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. Suger's Eagle is a typical case of the "careful preservation of the ancient relic in a setting which leaves it completely intact." On the bottom of the eagle is a

niello Niello is a black mixture, usually of sulphur, copper, silver, and lead, used as an inlay on engraved or etched metal, especially silver. It is added as a powder or paste, then fired until it melts or at least softens, and flows or is pushed ...

ed '' titulus'': "This stone deserves to have mounts of gold and gems. / It was marble. Its settings are more precious than marble." Inscribed around the base of the neck, above the lip of the vessel, is a dedication to the church of Saint-Denis. The goldwork of the neck demonstrates superb chiselwork. Two large engravings from 1706 depict the

treasury of Saint-Denis The Treasury of Saint-Denis, kept at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris until the French Revolution, was the main repository of the ''regalia'' of the Kingdom of France, including the ''ancien régime'' portion of what are now known as the Fren ...

(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 The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. 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.

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Porphyry vase, known as Suger's eagle, at the Louvre
Romanesque art Individual vases Medieval European metalwork objects