EARLY CHRISTIAN SCULPTOR, Italian
(active 4th century in Milan)

The Brescia Lipsanotheca (front)

late 4th century
Ivory
Museo di Santa Giulia, Brescia

Lipsanotheca is a word for a reliquary, or specifically a small box containing the actual relics inside a reliquary.

The Brescia Casket or Lipsanotheca is an ivory box, perhaps a reliquary, from the late 4th century. It is a unique survival of a complete Early Christian ivory box in generally good condition. The 36 subjects depicted on the box represent a wide range of the images found in the evolving Christian art of the period.

The scenes on the front are as follows.

Main register (between fish and cock): Healing of the woman with an issue of blood; Christ teaching in the synagogue; Parable of the Lost Sheep.

Above the main register: Jonah swallowed by the whale; Jonah cast up by the whale.

Below the main register: Susanna and the witnesses; Trial of Susanna; Daniel in the lion's den.