id: 112876
accession number: 1931.462
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1931.462
updated: 2025-07-15 13:17:22.532000
Portable Altar of Countess Gertrude, c. 1045. Germany, Lower Saxony?, Romanesque period, 11th century. Gold, cloisonné enamel, porphyry, gems, pearls, niello, wood core; overall: 10.5 x 27.5 x 21 cm (4 1/8 x 10 13/16 x 8 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1931.462
title: Portable Altar of Countess Gertrude
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: c. 1045
creation date earliest: 1040
creation date latest: 1050
current location: 106C Medieval Treasury
creditline: Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
copyright:
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culture: Germany, Lower Saxony?, Romanesque period, 11th century
technique: gold, cloisonné enamel, porphyry, gems, pearls, niello, wood core
department: Medieval Art
collection: MED - Romanesque
type: Metalwork
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
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measurements: Overall: 10.5 x 27.5 x 21 cm (4 1/8 x 10 13/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
state of the work:
edition of the work:
support materials:
inscriptions:
inscription: GERDRVDIS XPO FELIX VT | VIVAT IN IPSO OBTVLIT HVNC LAPIDEM GEMMIS | AVROQ NITENTEM
translation:
remark:
inscription: SIGISMVNDVS, CONSTANTIVS, SANCTA CRVX, SCA ELENA, SCA ADALHEIT
translation:
remark:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition
opening date: 1936-06-26T04:00:00
The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
title: The Silver Jubilee Exhibition
opening date: 1941-06-23T04:00:00
The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
title: Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum
opening date: 1991-06-07T04:00:00
Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
title: Gold & Glory: Gifts for Eternity
opening date: 2019-10-11T04:00:00
Gold & Glory: Gifts for Eternity. Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland (October 11, 2019-January 19, 2020).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
Treasury, Cathedral of St. Blaise, Brunswick
date: 1045-?
footnotes:
citations:
House of Brunswick-Lüneburg
date:
footnotes:
citations:
(Goldschmidt Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
date: ?-1931
footnotes:
citations:
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
date: 1931-
footnotes:
citations:
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fun fact:
digital description:
wall description:
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RELATED WORKS
id: 112021
Medallion with the Bust of Christ ("The Cumberland Medallion"), from the Guelph Treasure, late 700s. Germany, Weserraum, Migration period, late 8th century. Cloisonné enamel and gold on copper; diameter: 5.1 x 0.2 cm (2 x 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1930.504
relationship:
id: 112022
Monstrance with the "Paten of Saint Bernward", c. 1180–1190. Saint Oswald Reliquary Workshop (German). Silver, gilded silver, niello, rock crystal; overall: 34.5 x 15.9 x 14 cm (13 9/16 x 6 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.); part 1: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.); part 2: 34.3 cm (13 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund with additional gift from Mrs. R. Henry Norweb, 1930.505
relationship:
id: 112316
Arm Reliquary of the Apostles, c. 1190. Germany, Lower Saxony, Hildesheim, Romanesque period, late 12th century. Gilt silver, champlevé enamel, oak; overall: 51 x 14 x 9.2 cm (20 1/16 x 5 1/2 x 3 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1930.739
relationship:
id: 112318
The So-called Horn of Saint Blaise, 1100–1200. South Italy or Sicily, 12th century. Ivory; overall: 12 cm (4 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1930.740
relationship:
id: 112958
Ceremonial Cross of Countess Gertrude, 1038 or shortly after. Germany, Lower Saxony?, 11th century. Gold: worked in repoussé; cloisonné enamel, intaglio gems, pearls, wood core; overall: 24.2 x 21.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund with the addition of a gift from Mrs. Edward B. Greene 1931.55
relationship:
id: 112971
Monstrance with a Relic of Saint Sebastian, 1484. Germany, Lower Saxony, Brunswick, Gothic period, 15th century. Gilded silver, rock crystal, bone, parchment; overall: 47 cm (18 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Julius F. Goldschmidt, Z. M. Hackenbroch, and J. Rosenbaum in memory of the Exhibition of the Guelph Treasure held in the Cleveland Museum of Art from 10 January to 1 February 1931, 1931.65
relationship:
id: 112875
Ceremonial Cross of Count Liudolf, shortly after 1038. Germany, Lower Saxony?, Romanesque period, 11th century. Gold: worked in repoussé; cloisonné enamel; intaglio gems; pearls; wood core; overall: 24.2 x 21.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1931.461
relationship:
id: 112318
The So-called Horn of Saint Blaise, 1100–1200. South Italy or Sicily, 12th century. Ivory; overall: 12 cm (4 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1930.740
relationship:
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CITATIONS
W. M. M. “The Acquisition of Six Objects from the Guelph Treasure for the Cleveland Museum of Art: Foreword.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 9 (November 1930): 163–165.
page number: Mentioned: p. 163-165
url: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25137331
W. M. M. “The Acquisition of Six Objects from the Guelph Treasure for the Cleveland Museum of Art.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 9 (November 1930): 165–178, 183.
page number: Mentioned: p. 169-170; Reproduced: p. 171
url: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25137332
Milliken, William M. "The Gertrudis Altar and Two Crosses." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 18, no. 2 (February 1931).
page number: pp. 31-33
url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25137357
Milliken, William. "Silver Jubilee Exhibition." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 28, no.6 (June 1941): 88-108
page number: Reproduced: p. 102; Mentioned: p. 105
url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25140932
Milliken, William. "Exhibition of Gold." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 34, no. 9 (November 1947): 211-212.
page number: Mentioned: p. 211-212; Reproduced: p. 226
url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25141408
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 95
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n31
Corbet, Patrick. “L'autel portatif de la comtesse Gertrude de Braunschweig (vers 1040): Tradition royale de Bourgogne et conscience aristocratique dans l'Empire des Saliens.” Cahiers de Civilisation Médiévale, 34e année (n°134), (1991).
page number: pp. 97-120, fig 1-5 (pl. 1-2)
url: https://www.persee.fr/doc/ccmed_0007-9731_1991_num_34_134_2488
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page number: Reproduced: p. 45
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n69
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page number: Reproduced: p. 45
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n67
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page number: Reproduced: p. 50
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n70
De Winter, Patrick M. "The Sacral Treasure of the Guelphs." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 1 (1985).
page number: pp. 30, 36-37, 39-40, 41, 43, 47, 67, 74, 117, 134-136, 139 no. 4, no. 22, figs. 38-39; color plates V-IX
url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159893
Lasko, Peter. Ars Sacra, 800-1200. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994.
page number: pp. 135-137, 139
url:
Luckhardt, Jochen, and Franz Niehoff. Heinrich der Löwe und seine Zeit: Herrschaft und Repräsentation der Welfen 1125-1235 : Katalog der Ausstellung, Braunschweig 1995. München: Hirmer, 1995.
page number: no. 120, p. 226; no. 121, p. 227; no. 386, p. 513
url:
Boockmann, Andrea. Die verlorenen Teile des 'Welfenschätzes': eine Übersicht anhand des Reliquienverzeichnisses von 1482 der Stiftskirche St. Blasius in Braunschweig. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1997.
page number: pp. 30, 54, 56, 70, 75, 77, 101, 130f
url:
Ehlers, Joachim, and Dietrich Kötzsche. Der Welfenschatz und sein Umkreis. Mainz: P. von Zabern, 1998.
page number: p. 55; abb. 6, p. 56; abb. 5, p. 56; abb. 6, 56; abb. 7, p. 295.
url:
Budde, Michael. Altare portatile: Kompendium der Tragaltäre des Mittelalters, 600-1600. Münster/Westf: Werne a.d. Lippe, 1998.
page number: Vol. I p 168; Vol. II pp 90-98
url:
Colloque international du Centre d'études médiévales, Patrick Corbet, Monique Goullet, Dominique Iogna-Prat, Chantal Palluet, and Daniel Russo. Adélaïde de Bourgogne: genèse et représentations d'une sainteté impériale. Paris: Editions de l'Université de Dijon, 2002.
page number: p. 157, fig. 4
url:
Athanor XVIII. Florida State University Department of Art History, vol. 18, (2000).
page number: p. 15, fig. 7
url:
Brüsch, Tania. Die Brunonen, ihre Grafschaften und die sächsische Geschichte: Herrschaftsbildung und Adelsbewusstsein im 11. Jahrhundert. Husum: Matthiesen Verlag, 2000.
page number: pp 88-92
url:
May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001.
page number: Reproduced: no. 19, p. 24
url:
Peter, Michael. Der Gertrudistragaltar aus dem Welfenschatz: eine stilgeschichtliche Untersuchung. Mainz: Von Zabern, 2001.
page number: Fig. 1, 2, p. 22, Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7-17, pp. 22-29
url:
Stiegemann, Christoph, and Hiltrud Westermann-Angerhausen. Schatzkunst am Aufgang der Romanik: der Paderborner Dom-Tragaltar und sein Umkreis. München: Hirmer, 2006.
page number: p. 82, fig. 2
url:
Eikelmann, Renate, Holger A. Klein, Stephen N. Fliegel, and Virginia Brilliant. The Cleveland Museum of Art: Meisterwerke von 300 bis 1550. München: Hirmer, 2007.
page number: p. 114, repr. p. 115-116, no. 36
url:
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page number: Mentioned and reproduced: P. 116-118, no. 36
url:
Palazzo, Eric. L'espace rituel et le sacré dans le Christianisme: la liturgie de l'autel portatif dans l'Antiquité et au Moyen Âge. Turnhout: Brepols, 2008.
page number: pp. 158, 163, 165-66, 179
url:
Fliegel, Stephen N. Resplendent Faith: Liturgical Treasuries of the Middle Ages. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2009.
page number: pp. 18, fig. 11
url:
Klein, Holger A. "Himmlische Schatze." das munster (Jan. 2010).
page number: p. 376, fig. 5
url:
Bagnoli, Martina. Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010.
page number: Reproduced: fig. 42, p.86
url:
Cleveland Museum of Art, David Franklin, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012.
page number: pp. 88-89
url:
Hahn, Cynthia J. Strange Beauty: Issues in the Making and Meaning of Reliquaries, 400-Circa 1204. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012.
page number: p. 97, fig. 44
url:
Smith, Julia M. H. Portable Christianity: Relics in the Medieval West (C. 700-1200). Oxford: Published for the British Academy by Oxford University Press, 2012.
page number: p. 147, fig. 1
url:
Robinson, James, Lloyd De Beer, and Anna Harnden. Matter of Faith: An Interdisciplinary Study of Relics and Relic Veneration in the Medieval Period. 2014.
page number: pp. 137-142
url:
Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page number: Mentioned and reproduced: P. 264-265
url:
Gearhart, Heidi C. Theophilus and the Theory and Practice of Medieval Art. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017.
page number: Reproduced: color plate 10; p. 109, fig, 24; p. 110, fig. 25: Mentioned: p. 111-113
url:
Mikolic, Amanda. Worshiping in Place Through Art: The Hidden Gems of the Portable Altar of Countess Gertrude. The Cleveland Museum of Art, CMA Thinker on Medium, 2020.
page number:
url: https://medium.com/cma-thinker/worshiping-in-place-through-art-the-hidden-gems-of-the-portable-altar-of-countess-gertrude-48f9457d9cc5
García de Castro Valdés, César, and Gerardo Boto Varela. El Arca Santa de Oviedo: contexto de producción, iconografía y significado. 2020, 124.
page number: Mentioned: p. 124 and 298.
url:
Fehlmann, Marc, Michael Matzke and Sabine Söll-Tauchert. Gold & Ruhm: Kunst und Macht unter Kaiser Heinrich II. Basel; München: Historisches Museum Basel; Hirmer, 2019.
page number: Mentioned & reproduced: pp. 265-265, cat.89
url:
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1931.462/1931.462_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1931.462/1931.462_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1931.462/1931.462_full.tif