2025 Theses Doctoral

Flemish Bust-Format Reliquaries of Cologne's Holy Virgins and their Patrons in the Entourage of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Levine, Adam Harris

This dissertation examines early sixteenth-century reliquaries made in Brussels to contain relics of the companions of Saint Ursula for Spanish patrons. It traces the development of the bust-format reliquary from early head-shaped reliquaries, and also examines the rise of the cult of St Ursula and her companions in Cologne and abroad, especially in Spain. The central case study is a group of bust-format reliquaries made by a small network of artists in a short span of time, and the final section traces the reliquaries’ reception by looking at the funerary chapels in which they were installed and venerated.