凡尔登·尼古拉斯认领

A cameo portrait of Nero is set in the right-hand side of the removable trapezoidal panel on the front of the shrine. It is the same shape and size as the Venus intaglio. Together with the Ptolemy Cameo, which was stolen in 1574, these three major ancient gems constituted a major focus of attention on the front of the shrine. It is possible that they were a reference to the skulls of the three Magi that were visible when the trapezoidal panel was removed. The theme of Agrippina’s coronation of Nero (she can be seen holding a laurel wreath over his head) may have been re-interpreted in the context of the medieval interpretation that biblical kings were the predecessors of German rulers.

Four figures stand beneath the trefoil arch that frames the Adoration of the Magi. The figure on the left is King Otto IV, who donated the gold and precious stones for the front of the shrine sometime around the year 1200. Although he is not wearing a crown, Otto stands confidently alongside the Magi, the biblical kings who were not only the first Christian rulers, but also the model for all medieval kings. This was intended to underline the legitimacy of Otto IV’s disputed reign (he and Philip of Swabia were rivals to the throne). At the same time, it shows that like the French kings with the Crown of Thorns, the German kings considered the relics of the Magi to be state relics.

The front end of the shrine, the only one to be fashioned out of pure gold, was donated by King Otto IV around the year 1200. It features the largest and most precious of the antique intaglios and cameos. The trapezoidal panel between the upper and the lower sections of the shrine can be removed to reveal a grille through which the skulls of the Magi can be seen. This structure allowed the relics to be shown to pilgrims. Tongs were also used to touch the relics with small pieces of paper or material, on which prayers were written and which were often decorated with an image of the Magi. These third-class relics would then be given to the pilgrims as proof that they had made the pilgrimage to Cologne.

An ancient cameo of Medusa was set in the left-hand side of the removable trapezoidal panel on the front of the shrine sometime around 1200. In Greek mythology, anyone who looked at the head of Medusa would turn to stone. Such legends were well known in the Middle Ages. The cameo of Medusa was attached to the front end of the shrine for the same reason that images of demons were often depicted on the west end of medieval churches to symbolise that evil had been vanquished by the Christian Church and could not, therefore, access the church building.

The Shrine of the Magi is the largest, most artistically significant, and, in terms of its content, most ambitious reliquary of the Middle Ages. The relics were brought to Cologne from Milan in 1164. From about 1190 to 1220 a number of artisans worked on the shrine in the workshop of the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun and in workshops in Cologne and along the river Meuse that continued his work. Ornamentation on the shrine includes gold- and silver-embossed, fire-gilded figures, filigree panels set with precious and semi-precious stones, intaglios, and cameos, and columns, arches and profiles trimmed with enamels. The images depicted on the shrine include scenes from the history of salvation from the dawning of time to the Last Judgment. Although the shrine was shortened by one axis after being hidden from French revolutionary troops in 1794, it was largely restored to its original shape during the most recent period of restoration, which lasted from 1961 to 1973. The intention in the Middle Ages was that the shrine would be placed in the crossing. Today, however, it rises above the medieval high altar at the back of the inner choir, making this area the main focus of the Gothic cathedral, which was built as a stone reliquary for this precious shrine.

The front of the shrine, which dates from around 1200, is crowned by a scene showing Christ as Judge of the Universe. Following the Adoration of the Magi and the Baptism of Christ, this is the third epiphany of Christ. The enthroned Christ is flanked by two angels. The angel on the left holds a chalice and paten; the angel of the right a crown—symbols that Christ is both a priest and a king. Busts of angels bearing instruments of the passion (nails and lance) hover above Christ as the judge. Christ holds up his right hand in judgement and carries a scroll bearing the inscription ‘Liber vite’ (book of life) in his left hand. Originally, the now empty space above Christ’s head contained a bust of the Archangel Michael holding a cross, the symbol of Christ’s victory.

The Baptism of Christ is depicted in the lower section of the shrine on the opposite side to the Adoration of the Magi. A wave representing the river Jordan swells up in front of Christ while St John the Baptist, who is dressed in a garment of camel hair, uses a bowl to pour water over Christ. On the right, an angel stands holding the Lord’s robes. There are several reasons for the inclusion of this scene. Firstly, the feast of the Baptism of Christ is celebrated on the same day as the Epiphany, namely on 6 January. Secondly, according to the Gospel according to Matthew, the baptism of Christ was God’s first public acknowledgement of Jesus as his son: ‘This is my beloved son.’