UNKNOWN GOLDSMITH, German
(active 1335-1349)

Bust reliquary of Charlemagne

c. 1350
Silver, part gilt, height 86 cm
Cathedral Treasury, Aachen

This large, bust-shaped reliquary was made to house the head of Charlemagne. The black eagles and the golden fleurs-de-lys refer to the imperial eagle and Charlemagne's coat-of-arms.