Late Gothic Architectural Monstrances in the Rhineland, c. 1380-1480: Objects in Context
Open Access
Author:
McCune Bruhn, Heather Colleen
Graduate Program:
Art History
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
August 24, 2006
Committee Members:
Elizabeth Bradford Smith, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Brian A Curran, Committee Member Charlotte Marie Houghton, Committee Member James Ross Sweeney, Committee Member
Between c. 1380 and 1480, nearly every church in Middle Europe (an area encompassing
modern-day Germany and large areas of its neighbors) acquired an elaborate, expensive
architectural Host monstrance. In the Rhineland, most of these monstrances remain in the
churches for which they were made, and most of them originated in the city of Cologne. The
display of a monstrance indicated that the Host wafer inside was consecrated, and individuals
who gazed upon the Body of Christ found that the rock crystal vessel (which visually magnified
the Host) and the complex architectural framework, improved their devotional experience. Far
from being a simple accessory used in the Corpus Christi liturgy, the monstrance was the focal
point of processions and liturgical celebrations. Unlike chalices and other liturgical vessels that
were used every day, the monstrance was used only at certain times of year, and then with great
pomp. I present the late gothic monstrances produced in the Rhineland between c. 1380 and
1480 as they might have been seen and understood in their own time. To this end, I examine the
identity and motivations of their patrons, their monetary and symbolic value, the circumstances
of their commissioning and production, their liturgical and processional use and their reception
