There are customers who are so wonderfully and pleasantly uncompromising in their passion and perfectionism that working with you and, above all, the result of these joint efforts ultimately leads to truly extraordinary and unique objects. This is also the case for this year's regular customer, who bought a particularly elaborate carnival costume for his performances as "King the Lionheart". from us extensively decorated. This is where the hitherto little-known “Reliquary Cross of Valasse” comes into play:
For his costume coat as “King Lionheart”, our customer has a very experienced tailor make an elaborately hand-embroidered copy of the so-called “reliquary cross of Valasse” make. Based on the original, a selection of real gemstones is also to be sewn onto it - an order that we accepted with great joy and gratitude.
The reliquary cross of Valasse, named after a former Cistercian abbey in Seine-Maritime in France, is kept in the Rouen Museum of Antiquities and is one of the most famous jewels of medieval Normandy. Adorned with precious stones and filigree work, it is the setting for an alleged relic of the True Cross, the holiest of all Christian relics. The homage paid to this reliquary, but also the memory of the prestigious Plantagenet dynasty to which it seems to be linked, certainly made it possible for this treasure of 12th-century goldsmithing to come down to us. The material history of this cross made of gilded silver is complex, since the reliquary mainly houses a smaller cross made of gold, which in turn probably comes from an older object. All in all a true (goldsmith) treat for the senses.
After we have already given our customers the elaborate Adornments of his medieval sword belt, two gilded robe clasps and fifty gilded lion patches for his unique costume, this renewed order is another highlight our focus on historical goldsmith objects.
It is and remains a great privilege for us to be able to deal with these outstanding treasures from the cultural history of mankind in such a varied way. Many thanks to all our customers who make this possible for us again and again....
Update December 2023:
Our customer kindly provided us with the following photos of the finished tassel coat with the elaborately hand-embroidered “Reliquary Cross of Valasse” including our gemstone settings on it (Thank you very much!)
