St Thomas Becket casket, c.1195-1200
Enamel on copper, 15.5 x 21 x 9.3 cm. Society of Antiquaries of London. Photo © The Trustees of The British Museum
This ornate reliquary was designed to hold remains of St Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. He had been in conflict for many years with Henry II after changing his allegiance from the Crown to the Pope
and the Church.
Four knights allegedly overheard the King’s rage and took seriously his shouts to rid him of the priest. Thomas Becket’s dramatic martyrdom was allegedly followed three days later by a series of miracles. He was canonised within three years of his death.
The casket was purchased by Sir William Hamilton in Naples, when he was British Ambassador in the city, and presented to the Society in 1801. Hamilton originally believed it to be Russian or modern Greek. Similar reliquaries had previously been exhibited to the Society, one by William Stukeley in 1748.
The casket is one of at least forty designed to distribute the saint’s relics throughout Europe, reflecting his popularity in the late twelfth century. It is made of copper alloy decorated in champlevé enamel, a technique developed and exploited at Limoges in France. It would originally have had four legs and been lined with wood.
This is one of the few caskets to depict all four knights. One side represents St Thomas’s martyrdom, the lid shows his entombment, and the two end panels each depict a standing saint. A tapestry based on this design is on display in the Hall of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
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This text is abridged from the exhibition catalogue Making History: Antiquaries in Britain, 1707-2007 (introduction by David Starkey), available from the RA Shop.
