The Breac Maodhóg (English: Speckled Shrine of Saint Maedog) O'Toole, Fintan.
A history of Ireland in 100 objects: Breac Maodhóg Shrine, late 11th century
. '' The Irish Times '', 3 December 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2021 is a relatively large Irish house-shaped

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...

, today in the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

. It is thought to date from the second half of the 11th century, and while periods as early as the 9th century have been proposed, the later dating is thought more likely based on the style of its decoration.Murray (2005), p. 136 The shrine is made from large plates of bronze on a wooden base, on which are placed series of

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

figures on bronze plaques. It is best regarded for the individuality of these figure, as well as other details that give insight into contemporary ecclesiastical and social practices.Wallace (2002), p. 234 At a height of 190 mm and width of 92 mm, it is relatively large compared to similar objects of its type. It was for centuries kept in a small decorated leather satchel added in the late medieval period, which is slightly too small for the shrine and is thought to have been originally designed to hold a manuscript.

Function

The shrine was probably used as a battle standard, when, as with the

Cathach of St. Columba The Cathach of St. Columba, known as the Cathach (meaning "the Battler"),O'Neill (2014), p. 12 is a late 6th century Insular psalter. It is the oldest surviving manuscript in Ireland, and the second oldest Latin psalter in the world. Its cumdach ...

(''Battler of Columba''), it would have been carried onto the battlefield by a cleric to protect the troops and perhaps bring victory. A medieval text on the life of the patron saint of the kings of Leinster, St Maedoc of Ferns, records how the kings of Breifne sought that "the famous wonder-working Breac ascarried thrice around them" during battle.

Description

House-shaped (sometimes known as "tomb-shaped") reliquaries date to at least the 8th century. The figures in the Breac Maodhóg are made from bronze, but so finely moulded that they resemble

wood carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...

s.O'Toole (2013), p. 86 Mostly

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

s, saints and

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

, they are placed in groupings, some of which are now lost or badly damaged.Stalley (1977), p. 191 The surviving figures are given highly individualistic facial feature, expressions and poses. They wear elaborate hairstyles and are dressed in luxurious finery, and the folds of their flowing robes are highly detailed. The figures are deeply moulded against the copper plates, to an extent that gives the appearance that they have been carved from wood.Wallace (2002), p. 220 The best-known figures are of two saints or clerics on the right-hand side of the middle register. The saint on the left has a melancholy expression and drooping eyes and holds his head in one hand as if sighing. The musician on one side of the front plate is playing what is thought to be the oldest extant visual representation of a

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

. The figures resemble the form of the evangelists in the earlier

Soiscél Molaisse The Soiscél Molaisse ( ;Stokes (1871), p. 14 'Gospel of St. Molaisse')Stevick (2008), p. 37 is an Irish (a type of ornamented metal reliquary box or carrying case for a holy book) that originated from an 8th-century wooden core embellished i ...

, although, according to art historian Patrick Wallace, those on the Breac Maodhóg are "invested with a deeper humanity, character and humour. The wool-clad,

tunic A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...

ed, and cloaked, bearded and long-haired figures seem to almost invite the viewer back to the early twelfth century."

Provenance

It was thought in the early modern period to have originated at Drumlane monastery,

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

, however its first mention, in a 15th-century "Life of the saint", describes its donation to the village of Rossinver,

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

by the Bishop Máedóc of Ferns. Its provenance for many centuries is unclear; one account notes that the shrine was "preserved for centuries in Drumlane, and was stolen in the present century from the Roman Catholic priest of that parish".Murray (2005), p. 137 When first rediscovered, its hereditary keepers were the O'Farrelly family.Wallace (2002), pp. 230, 234

Condition

Due to its age, it is in very poor condition.Moss (2014), p. 293

Gallery

File:Breac Maodhóg (Drawing) FigsA.jpg, Detail from the 1867 drawings by Margaret Stokes File:Breac Maodhóg (Drawing) FigsB.jpg, Detail File:Breac Maodhóg (Drawing) FigsC.jpg, Detail File:Breac Maodhóg (Drawing) FigsD.jpg, Detail

References

Sources

* Crawford, Henry. "A Descriptive List of Irish Shrines and Reliquaries. Part I". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', 6th series, volume 13, no. 1, June 1923. * Laing, Lloyd. ''The Archaeology of Celtic Britain and Ireland: C.AD 400 - 1200''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. * Lucas, Anthony. "The Social Role of Relics and Reliquaries in Ancient Ireland". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 116, 1986. * O'Toole, Fintan. ''A History of Ireland in 100 Objects''. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 2013. * Moss, Rachel. '' Medieval c. 400—c. 1600''. " Art and Architecture of Ireland" series. London: Yale University Press, 2014. * Murray, Griffin. "A Note on the Provenance of the Breac Maodhóg". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland''. Volume 135, 2005 * O'Neill, Timothy. ''The Irish Hand: Scribes and Their Manuscripts From the Earliest Times''. Cork: Cork University Press, 2014. * Stalley, Roger. "Irish Art in the Romanesque and Gothic Periods". In:
Treasures of early Irish art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D: From the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College Dublin
'. NY:

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, 1977. * Wallace, Patrick. "Viking Age Ireland, AD 850-1150". In Ó'Floinn, Raghnal; Wallace, Patrick (eds). ''Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities''. National Museum of Ireland, 2002. {{House-shaped shrines Christian reliquaries Collection of the National Museum of Ireland House-shaped shrines Irish art Irish manuscripts