Passion as inconspicuous masterpiece
This little bronze work of art is hanging inconspicuously in the vitrine. Anyone who has delved into the world of medieval art will nod knowingly as they read the description. To anyone else, the name shown there won’t mean much: Reiner von Huy.
Unlike most artists of his day, Reiner appears not to have been a monk, but rather a layman. A certificate from the Bishop of Lüttich in 1125 concerning the church in the small but prosperous city of Huy refers to him as “Reinerus aurifaber” (“goldsmith”). Huy had been known for its metal processing and the high quality of the works produced there since the High Middle Ages. However, nothing else is known about Reiner’s life. Historians of the 14th century associate his name with the baptismal font of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Lüttich, created for the cathedral between 1107 and 1118. The commission for a baptismal font in such an important place – the seat of one of the most powerful dioceses in north-western Europe – would likely only be awarded to a highly skilled artisan. Indeed, the baptismal font in Lüttich is a central work in Maas-style art.
The regions around the Maas produced the best works of gold in all of Europe from the 11th to the 13th centuries. Nikolaus von Verdun, the master who created the Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral, came from this area. The works are defined by a strict, Classicist style reminiscent of the ancient period, as can be seen in the design of the body and the folds. This may come as no surprise, as the Maas region was the heartland of the Carolingians, whose art policies sought to revive the ancient style.
Our figure of Christ has lost the processional cross that it once hung from, according to the holes drilled through the hands. This makes it easy to see the two chambers on the back that were once intended for relics. This figure could make one think of the fragments of the True Cross, which were popular and highly revered relics in the Middle Ages. Christ stood on a platform, and was not suspended from the cross, so that his body would not lower and fall but rather stay upright. This is why his arms are held out wide and not hanging downward, his head is only slightly tilted forward. Christ’s powerlessness is only visible in his somewhat slumped upper body and his protruding abdomen. Yet he has not (yet) died. His eyes are open and looking forward. Together with his youthful body, the viewer could get the impression that he has already overcome death.
A modern person could easily think this while looking at the piece. But the triumphant – not the suffering – Christ was a frequent subject in Romantic art. There is no trace at all of pain, suffering, or even death. And so this work is a good fit for the time frame according to the calendar, and indirectly according to the Christian liturgical year. Good Friday reminds Christians around the world of the sacrifice, and the following Easter Sunday of Christ’s resurrection, and thus of the promise of healing at the core of the Christian message. This can all be seen in this tiny, bronze figure.
