03 Reliquary Casket of Thomas Becket
This reliquary casket from the Metropolitan Museum is decorated with scenes from Becket’s martyrdom. The four rectangular sides show the confrontation and subsequent violent murder, and the triangular panels on the casket’s lid show angels blessing Becket’s ascent to Heaven. [14] A deep crimson gem glimmers on the lid, reflecting the contents of the reliquary, which were two vials of Becket’s blood. An inscription on the back of the casket confirms this: intus sanguis e est s tomas - inside is the blood of St. Thomas. [15] The reliquary is small, measuring no more than three inches in its dimensions. Created in the form of a casket or châsse (French: "shrine"), the reliquary is church-shaped [16], and together with its small size, it creates a personal, intimate experience for the relic-owner.
14. The Metropolitan Museum. <www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464490>.
15. Bagnoli, Martina, and Holger A. Klein. Pages 186-187.
16. The Philadelphia Museum of Art. <www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/51954.html>