The Reliquary Effect: Enshrining the Sacred Object

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The Reliquary Effect is the first full survey in English to investigate the societal value of reliquaries. It focuses on relics and reliquaries of the Christian tradition, from the earliest moments of the cult of saints, to the post-Reformation response, to Protestant scepticism about and rejection of relic veneration.

Featuring many superb illustrations of a fascinating mixture of objects, from inexplicably obscure relics to fine art works, The Reliquary Effect is a must-read for students of art history or religion, as well as all those interested in the enduring power of sacred things.

Reviews

[A] splendid book . . . The Reliquary Effect sparkles with gorgeous pictures, and the text is deservedly full of epithets such as sumptious and spectacular, rich and lavish, lavish and extensive. The objects under discussion were in most cases the most precious possessions of some of Europes most powerful individuals and institutions over more than a thousand years . . . Hahn elegantly elides her discussion of Christian relics into an investigation of their secular equivalents . . . a page-turner. * Art Newspaper *
A compelling examination of relics but mainly reliquaries and their cultural as well as spiritual impact from dust and ashes, to gilded splendours and the contemporary vitrines of Anselm Keifer and even the Vietnam monument by Maya Lin, as well as the hitherto un-probed religious aspects of Joseph Beuys and Paul Thek . . . a pioneering book, originally argued, excellent in scope and beautifully produced; a book about containment that is perfectly contained * ACE/Mercers Book Awards, Runner-Up 2017 *
As Cynthia Hahn convincingly shows in her detailed and richly illustrated new book, relics themselves are the predominant objects of interest over the years for scholars and worshippers alike, but the reliquaries are important and informative art and religious objects in their own right. * Anthropology Review *
In this stunningly beautiful book, with 85 colour plates, The Reliquary Effect: Enshrining the Sacred Object, Cynthia Hahn takes us on a journey that begins with the footprint of Christ from the Mount of Olives, a 2nd century footprint of the Buddha, a tracing of the Muhammads sandal, and a tenth century silver, gold and enamel portable altar containing the sandal of St Andrew . . . This is a book that hovers between the prayer desk and the coffee table! * Methodist Recorder *
Cynthia Hahn has filled an important gap in scholarship. This book is the first to understand and analyse reliquaries as creations for the stimulation of attention and the capturing of desire. Hahns supreme knowledge and comprehensive approach enable her to look behind the surface of the reliquary, following its developments over time and drawing some sometimes surprising conclusions. As a contribution to the cross-cultural study of art, The Reliquary Effect shows how we can strengthen our understanding of the origins and foundations of our culture and those of others. * Gerhard Lutz, Curator, Dommuseum Hildesheim *

Author Bio

Cynthia Hahn is Professor of Art History at Hunter College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her previous books include Portrayed on the Heart: Narrative Effect in Pictorial Lives of the Saints from the Tenth through the Thirteenth Century (2001) and Strange Beauty: Origins and Issues in the Making of Medieval Reliquaries, 400c. 1204 (2012).