Welfenschatz: Treasures of the House of Welf

Rebekah Gooding*, Rhonda Reymond and Janet Snyder, School of Art and Design, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Field (Broad Category): Art History & Visual Arts (Human Engagement)

Student’s Major: Art History 

The Cult of Relics - the veneration of the physical remains of Christian Saints – has been an important part of Christian tradition for centuries as they were the physical manifestations of the Saints and Martyrs. The Cathedrals of Medieval Europe boasted troves of relics of incredible value. One such collection, known as the “Welfenschatz” or Guelph Treasure, was started by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, who brought a bounty of relics with him upon his return from travels to Jerusalem. He began to commission grand reliquaries (containers) for his new relics, beginning the Guelph Treasure that would be housed in the Mary Altar (Marienaltar) at Brunswick Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Blasius). During the Reformation, even under the pressure to convert, Brunswick Cathedral and the Duchy remained Catholic until the midsixteenth century. When the cathedral did convert, the relics that were of little value to Protestants were removed from the Mary Altar and moved around Europe until the early-twentieth century when the Guelph Treasure was purchased by a group of art dealers in Germany. These dealers sold a total of nine pieces from the treasure in their possession to the Cleveland Museum of Art, where they currently reside on display. These nine ecclesiastic objects – while not all reliquaries – are all beautiful examples of Henry the Lion’s vision for his treasury and his intention to show off the talent of the local craftsmen around Brunswick. 

Funding: West Virginia University 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course