Cynthia Hahn Libri

Exploring the diverse forms of reliquaries, this book delves into their profound spiritual and memorial significance, ranging from skeletons to fragments of cloth. Cynthia Hahn presents the first comprehensive English survey of how these objects commemorate religious and historical events while evoking awe and faith. By highlighting their societal value, the work reveals the miraculous qualities that many associate with reliquaries, offering insights into their enduring impact on culture and belief.

This book studies forty-six pieces of European jewelry ? pendants, reliquaries, amulets, and talismans ? from the eighth to the eighteenth century. The title ?The thing of mine I have loved the best? comes from the medieval will of an English duchess who bequeaths a reliquary jewel to her son. It expresses the sentiment that jewels appealed (then, as well as now) to the truest and strongest emotions. 0This book concerns objects that were ?meaningful? jewels, a term we choose to designate a wide range of precious wearable objects that had particular meaning. 00Exhibition: Les Enluminures, New York, USA (05.04. - 20.04.2018).

The Darnley jewel, a masterpiece of the goldsmith's art, has been deemed a love token, but has also been labeled an emblem of political ambition.