Lothair Crystal

Lothair Crystal or Susanna Crystal
Lothair Crystal or Susanna Crystal
Material	Quartz; Giltcopper(frame)
Size	Weight: 650 grams (incl frame); Diameter: 115 mm (4.5 in) (crystal); Diameter: 183 mm (7.2 in) (incl frame); Thickness: 13 mm (0.51 in)
Writing	Latin
Created	15th century (frame), 855-869 (crystal)
Period/culture	Carolingian(crystal), Medieval (frame)
Place	Meuse, River
Present location	Room 41,British Museum
Identification	BL.1295;1855,1201.5

TheLothair Crystal(also known as theLothar Crystalor theSusanna Crystal) is anengraved gemfromLotharingiain northwest Europe, showing scenes of thebiblicalstory ofSusanna,dating from 855–869.^[1]The Lothair Crystal is an object in the collection of theBritish Museum.

Description

The original element of the work is a circular disc of clearquartz( "rock crystal" ), measuring 11.5 centimetres (4.5 in) in diameter. This is engraved inintagliowith eight scenes depicting the story ofSusannaand the Elders, related in theBook of Daniel(but regarded as part of theApocryphaby Protestants).^[2]Susanna is first shown being falsely accused and condemned for adultery by the elders.Danielintervenes 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 briefinscriptionsinLatindrawn from theVulgate Bible.^[1]^[3]

The engravings on the crystal are executed in the energetic and distinctive early mediæval Rheims style which originated inmanuscriptdrawings such as those in theUtrecht Psalter.^[1]The crystal is surrounded by a 15th-century gilt-copper mount with a foliage border,^[3]which might have been once attributed toSaint Eligius(c. 588 – 660), thepatron saintofgoldsmiths.^[4]

Dating

The crystal is inscribedLOTHARIVS REX FRANC[ORVM ME FI]ERI IVSSIT( "Lothair, King of theFranks,ordered me to be made "^[5]), which possibly referres toLothair II.^[1]Lothair I called himselfimperator(emperor), whereas Lothar II called himselfrex(king), like the patron 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 ofCarolingian art.^[3]

Others have commented on the unusual wording of Lothair II's titles, as he never called himself 'of the Franks'. Moreover Lothair II's name was at the time of creation always spelled and pronounced as Hlotharius. The 'h' was dropped inOld Low Franconianonly at the end of the 9th century, which would suggest that the line would have been added after Lothair II's reign, or that the crystal might have been made by someone else. Simon MacLean therefore suggested that it was the 10th century kingLothair of Francewho would have ordered the crystal to be made.^[6]Mats Dijkdrent on the other hand thinks that the line could have been added to make it a more convincing relic made bySt Eligiuswho, according to hisvita,would have worked for a certain Lothar, king of the Franks (actuallyClothar II).^[7]

History

No textual sources on the history of the Lothair Crystal prior to the 10th century are known. Around the 10th century, it was pawned between acountand acanonofRheimsin exchange for a horse. The canon then denied possession of the crystal.^[8]It was later discovered to be in his possession when the canon was smoked out of the cathedral when it was set alight. Inpenance,he foundedWaulsort Abbey(in modernBelgium), where the crystal was held until the 18th century. During part of this period, it was utilised by the abbots to fasten theircopesduring mass.

In 1793,revolutionary Frenchforces sacked Waulsort and threw the crystal into theMeuseriver, reputedly cracking it in the process.^[1]In the 19th century it was stolen and stripped of its jewels.^[8]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 twelvefrancs.It passed to the BritishLiberalpoliticianRalph Bernal,who paid£10 for it.^[9]In 1855 it was acquired byAugustus Wollaston Frankson behalf of the British Museum in an auction of Bernal's collection atChristie'sfor £267.^[3]^[10]^[8]

The Lothair Crystal was Object 53 in the 2010BBC Radio 4programmeA History of the World in 100 Objects,chosen and presented by the Director of the British Museum,Neil MacGregor.

Interpretation

Enhanced image of the engraving.

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 processionalCross of LothairinAachen Cathedral.^[11]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.^[12]

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.^[1]Its design may be an allusion to the breastplate of justice worn by theKohen Gadol(the Jewish High Priest).^[4]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.^[12]

Valerie Flinthas argued that the crystal is related to the acrimonious divorce of Lothair and his wife Theutberga, whom he accused of committingincestand practicingabortion.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 theFranksas 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.^[13]

References

^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^fBritish Museum."Lothair Crystal".A History of the World in 100 Objects.Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2010.Retrieved4 June2010.
^Brown, Louise Fargo; Carson, George Barr (1971).Men and Centuries of European Civilization.Ayer Publishing. p. 127b.ISBN 978-0-8369-2100-7.
^^a ^b ^c ^dBritish Museum."The Lothair Crystal".British Museum catalogue.Retrieved4 June2010.
^^a ^bKemp, Martin, ed. (2000).The Oxford history of Western art.Oxford University Press US. p. 94.ISBN 978-0-19-860012-1.
^"Lothair Crystal".A History of the World.BBC.Retrieved16 June2010.
^MacLean, Simon (2022). "Royal Adultery, Biblical History and Political Conflict in Tenth Century Francia: the Lothar Crystal Reconsidered".Francia.49:1–25.
^Dijkdrent, Mats (2021)."The Lothar Crystal as a Relic of Saint Eligius".Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture.7(3): 1–26.
^^a ^b ^cFrancis, Sir Frank,ed. (1971).Treasures of the British Museum.London:Thames & Hudson.ISBN 0-500-20119-6.
^Banham, Joanna; Harris, Jennifer (1984).William Morris and the Middle Ages: a collection of essays, together with a catalogue of works exhibited at the Whitworth Art Gallery, 28 September-8 December 1984.Manchester University Press ND. pp. 65–66.ISBN 978-0-7190-1721-6.
^"Franks, Augustus Wollaston." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. 4 June 2010 <http:// oxfordartonline /subscriber/article/grove/art/T029737>.
^Lasko, Peter,Ars Sacra, 800-1200,Yale University Press, 1995 (2nd edn.)ISBN 978-0300060485;Image
^^a ^bNees, Lawrence (2002).Early medieval art.Oxford University Press. pp. 239–41.ISBN 978-0-19-284243-5.
^Rider, Caroline (2006).Magic and impotence in the Middle Ages.Oxford University Press. p. 35.ISBN 978-0-19-928222-7.

External links

British Museum page on the Lothair Crystal
"A History of the World - Object: Crystal engraved with images from the Biblical story of Susanna, made for the Medieval King Lothair".BBC and British Museum. 22 September 2008.Retrieved17 June2010.

This article is about an item held in theBritish Museum.The object reference isM&ME 1855,1201.5.

Preceded by 52:Harem wall painting fragments	A History of the World in 100 Objects Object 53	Succeeded by 54:Statue of Tara

[BM-1] British Museum."Lothair Crystal".A History of the World in 100 Objects.Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2010.Retrieved4 June2010.

[2] Brown, Louise Fargo; Carson, George Barr (1971).Men and Centuries of European Civilization.Ayer Publishing. p. 127b.ISBN 978-0-8369-2100-7.

[BM_catalogue-3] British Museum."The Lothair Crystal".British Museum catalogue.Retrieved4 June2010.

[Oxford-Western_Art-4] Kemp, Martin, ed. (2000).The Oxford history of Western art.Oxford University Press US. p. 94.ISBN 978-0-19-860012-1.

[ahotw_episode-5] "Lothair Crystal".A History of the World.BBC.Retrieved16 June2010.

[6] MacLean, Simon (2022). "Royal Adultery, Biblical History and Political Conflict in Tenth Century Francia: the Lothar Crystal Reconsidered".Francia.49:1–25.

[7] Dijkdrent, Mats (2021)."The Lothar Crystal as a Relic of Saint Eligius".Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture.7(3): 1–26.

[francis-8] Francis, Sir Frank,ed. (1971).Treasures of the British Museum.London:Thames & Hudson.ISBN 0-500-20119-6.

[9] Banham, Joanna; Harris, Jennifer (1984).William Morris and the Middle Ages: a collection of essays, together with a catalogue of works exhibited at the Whitworth Art Gallery, 28 September-8 December 1984.Manchester University Press ND. pp. 65–66.ISBN 978-0-7190-1721-6.

[10] "Franks, Augustus Wollaston." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. 4 June 2010 <http:// oxfordartonline /subscriber/article/grove/art/T029737>.

[11] Lasko, Peter,Ars Sacra, 800-1200,Yale University Press, 1995 (2nd edn.)ISBN 978-0300060485;Image

[Ness-12] Nees, Lawrence (2002).Early medieval art.Oxford University Press. pp. 239–41.ISBN 978-0-19-284243-5.

[13] Rider, Caroline (2006).Magic and impotence in the Middle Ages.Oxford University Press. p. 35.ISBN 978-0-19-928222-7.

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