The Reliquary Hood Project

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045039&objnr=62229&lang=en-GB&nr=28

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045039&objnr=62229&lang=en-GB&nr=28

http://balat.kikirpa.be/image/thumbnail/X045013.jpg

Let’s start with the basics:

Why this project? Because I like excuses to make flowers and didn’t want another shrine.

What is it? A reliquary hood – most often a covering for a skull, sometimes just a pile of remains.

When does it come from? Some date as far back as the 1300’s but this style date after 1580.

Where do they originate? These all come from The Low Countries. Germany has many too.

Who made them? Presumably these were made by devote Catholic women.

I had read that there were little piles of these silk flowers, still attached to the relics, where the tags to

denote “whose relic it was” were lost because they had been hastily removed from their shrines.1 So I

went looking for why they had been “hastily removed” and started reading about the Beeldenstorm, which took place in the summer of 1566, which seems like the most likely reason.2 First let me say that I

believe these skull covers were created after the Protestant Reformation and were a recycling project of

sorts. In the hast to remove items from “at risk” sites, they were all lumped together. At some later date

the piles of stuff were turned into these reliquaries. 13th century manuscripts, a massive collection of

bones and other relics, early 16th century flowers, probably fabric from old vestments and altar cloths,

18th century lace which is all pinned in (making me believe it was added long after the original creation),

a vast collection of items like beads and metals. I can almost see the bishop asking someone to make

this mess more presentable! The items can’t be destroyed because they are holy artifacts but they can’t

just be mounded in the corner of the room to rot either. And so these cute little skull covers/reliquary

hoods were created.

This project combines almost all my art skills (well, at least a good sampling) into one large project which

is something I enjoy doing. I broke down the project and determined that the list of tasks went like this:

1. Figure out how to get the skull to stand up the way it should so it looks like the artifacts.

2. Write a poem or dedication to calligraphy on the parchment base.

3. Draft a pattern. Make sure you have all required supplies and tools to do the project.

4. Calligraphy on parchment.

5. Goldwork for front piece.

6. Applique, beadwork, and embroidery on the front piece.

7. Bobbin lace with metal thread for the front guard. (*Later determined to be post period.)

8. Stitch and sew the cloth bits together.

9. Stitch the parchment base to the fabric bits.

10. Attach the bobbin lace and other trimmings to the front opening

11. Passementerie flowers for the top.

12. Weave the flowers together into a metal crown.

13. Attach crown to the rest of the fabric.

14. Decide (when it is all finished) if this was a productive way to spend your time.

15. Write down all the things you learned and find a good place to display the skull.

1 I think I originally got that information from Dress Accessories along with a list of where all the flower shrines were located. I eventually located and visited all the flower shrines. Now I’ve moved on to random flowers. 2 Wikipedia has good basic info. My library is still in boxes.

This seems like a sufficiently long enough list of things to accomplish to complete this project!

1.) My skull= I found a relatively realistic looking skull at Target in the “after Halloween sale” two years

ago when I first decided to do this project. It (based on the measurements from the museum) is a bit

larger than the period examples I am copying but the circumference of my head is 54 cm which is much

larger than the museum pieces as well. Making allowances for “people are bigger than they used to be”

and “there is no way I am working with an actual skull -ever- for any reason” the plastic skull was the

only concession to period materials and methods.

How to get the skull to sit in the reliquary the way it is supposed to= I kind of remember asking the

curator at cloister Bentlage about this very thing. Cloister Bentlage has a number of these reliquary

skulls all around their shrine. I should never need to know this, but if you remove the jawbone and turn

it around so the upper teeth sit on the jaw hinges, the jawbone becomes the perfect ‘seat’ for the rest

of the skull. Doing this will cause the finished reliquary to be more cylindrical and not quite so tall.

Later I discovered that many of these hoods weren’t skulls at all, but wrapped piles of bones which

accounts for their smaller size overall. Lots of hoods (in similar styles) do contain actual skulls so I was

still good and since the skull is completely covered (I wrapped it in linen) it didn’t matter if it was plastic

or real.

2.) Write a poem= I am very Catholic and have studied relics and their place in history. The period form

was to take used parchment and reuse it to make flowers or serve as bases for the skulls. I didn’t have

any used parchment available, so I took this opportunity to write something that is from the perspective

of the original artists who created the skull covers. It’s in the tradition of Chaucer’s Mars and Venus

poems but in modern English3. Most of the originals were from 13th century psalters and are unreadable.

3.) Draft a pattern= I confess, I didn’t draft a pattern for anything other than the letters, and then only

because I had such a small piece of silk velvet. I did pull together all the supplies and tools I needed. I

also had to find a pattern for the bobbin lace and find my calligraphy supplies. I managed to find all the

things I needed in suitable fabrics and colors though not exactly what I have period examples of. I

considered this process to be very period (I see the thing that someone made and use that mental

image, combined with my tools, materials, and talents, to create the same thing. It will not be exactly

the thing someone else made. I don’t consider it an opportunity to go shopping.)

I looked at the analysis of the yellow skull cover. I’m not convinced that the lace dates to the same

period as the rest of the skull cover so I consulted an expert for that part of the project. I also checked

the analysis http://balat.kikirpa.be/doc/pdf/Inventaris_Herkenrode_010.pdf (attached pages 11-13)

From the Balat website there are 66 items that are indexed as reliekhoofd and 51 as reliekschedel. I

have personally seen the 20 or so at Cloister Bentlage in Germany which are in addition to these. I am

3 I recently read an article that Hugo had posted to Facebook about the popularity of verse in Netherlandish regions. I did not read the article until after I wrote my poem and I possibly captured the period flavor but, on the other hand, I should have copied a psalter page from the 13th century.

fairly certain that I will be able to produce one that would fit right in the existing group. (There is also a

group of German hoods that are very late/post period.)

I only pulled materials that were silk – it was a conscious effort on my part though some of the existing

hoods were of linen.4 I have a small piece of silk velvet in pink that I really want to showcase in this piece

so I’m opting out on the deep red. (I could dye it but I really like the pink. Red is the color of martyrs and

it seems almost disrespectful to use red.)

I have a very small piece of marigold silk that I collected in a silk drive (when I ask friends for their fabric

scraps to be used in the shrine project,) a large piece of burgundy silk I purchased years ago at Pennsic,

and a green/gold piece left over from an Italian dress I made so many years ago.

Aside from the fabrics, I have a large stash of cords, braids, purl, silk embroidery floss, beads, coins (SCA

coins), wire, and parchment scraps that I can use for this project. I gathered them all together and

started playing with combinations – I usually get stuck in this part of the process because there are an

infinite number of combinations I could come up with. I find that sticking as close to the original is my

best defense so I picked the hood photo that I liked the best and set out to make something very similar.

4.) Calligraphy= while at Lilies War, I borrowed black ink from Zafara Baaburr which was hand-made by

her by mixing charcoal wood, gum Arabic, water and a tiny amount of vodka.5 I didn’t have any books

available so I just used my regular calligraphy hand, a modified Bastarda, which just flows out of me. I

did this on vellum with a metal tipped dip pen after lining the page in pencil. The original hoods used

parchment from 13th century Psalters, presumably because the text was religious in nature and could

only be destroyed in accord with specific procedures. Recycling was the way to go! I used parchment,

with hand-made ink and used a portable pen: My writing style is more in keeping with the 16th century

of the hood rather than the 13th century of the original psalter.

5.) Goldwork= still at Lilies, having examined the goldwork trimming many of the skull hoods, I decided it

very much resembled finger-loop braids. I did not have any clue how to do finger-looping so I sought out

an instructor and found one in Alessandra Giovanna Fioravanti, a laurel from Meridies, who showed me

the technique using three loops and then dashed off to her meeting. When she returned I had her show

me how to do five loops, which I had set up before she had returned. Later I tried seven loops. It does

resemble much of the goldwork on the skull hoods. I tried a few techniques and different threads. I did

not research finger-looping aside from confirming that the technique is period.6

6.) Applique, beadwork, and embroidery on the front piece= this is the point where I determine I’m sunk

and just toss it all in and go have a drink. Thankfully I had already completed step 11 so I trudged on. I

have never worked with silk velvet before -PITA doesn’t begin to cover it. It sheds. I was so afraid to cut

it that I didn’t put the notches in the letters (and understand now why the originals didn’t cut out the

notches). I tried several different threads and stitches and in the end I went with [drum roll please]

couching the letters down using pink silk, then covering the edges with finger-loop braids. I’m going to

assume that my velvet has a deeper pile than the period examples but my stitches are neater as well.

Because this is a recycling project I’m nearly certain that all the examples of relic hoods in this style

4 And now I know why so many of the hoods were in linen! 5 I am thankful I was able to trade a piece of parchment for the use of her ink – it made this project feel more period to me. 6 I purchased a good supply of stuff from her and she taught me how to use the stuff – another period experience.

came from reusing vestments, altar cloths, and other church fabrics and it is possible that (given the

variety of designs) the majority of the embroidery was already on the fabric. I chose the MA design after

I found out it stood for “Endure Forever.” I did way more finger-looping than I originally intended.7

7.) Bobbin lace in Metal thread for the front guard= I sent a picture to a lady who is an expert in bobbin

lace because I was dubious about it being period. She dissected the picture and determined that there

were several pieces very haphazardly conjoined and told me briefly about each section. I know that

metal thread bobbin lace was more of a 17th century ascetic so I took a piece I made based on a simple

pattern from the model book and wrapped that in the opening instead. I decided it didn’t look right and

replaced it with a plain white silk like one of my example hoods.8

8.) Stitch and sew the cloth bits together= By looking at multiple hoods from multiple angels I have

determined there are four pieces of fabric to the hood: the front guard which is rectangular, the front

crown which is a narrow strip, the hood, and the lining. The bottom is parchment. The guard and crown

are marigold yellow, the hood is cranberry burgundy, the lining is green and gold. My crown piece was

previously used to make a favor and has embroidery on it but, in keeping with the idea that this is

recycling, I decided to use it anyway and leave the embroidery intact. It matches the guard which is the

real point and were the only pieces I had in that color. I sewed the lining to the crown and then covered

the edge with a braid I made for that edge.9 This is also where I decided to just take a piece of linen to

get everything stretched out properly (I used a dark red piece that was a test piece for dyeing) and

ended up just keeping it rather than covering it with silk. The cranberry silk was the only piece of fabric I

didn’t have an attachment to and it was new, rather than recycled. It felt better to use the linen scrap.

9.) Stitch the parchment base to the fabric bits= I trimmed up the parchment, so it was oval, took a large

needle and pre-punched some holes, and got to sewing with some linen thread. Going down through

the holes required the use of a pliers but at the halfway point I switched directions and can say that

going up through the hole is much easier. At this point I just wanted this project to be over and I’m sure

my sewing shows that thought. I used the pink linen because I had less of it and was feeling whimsical.

10.) Attach the bobbin lace and other trimmings to the front opening= I didn’t like it but I left this step

here so I could explain total construction. Constructing the hood was not as easy as it appears and by

looking at the examples (all the haphazardly stitched linen bits) I can understand it better. I was going to

just use a piece of linen (I had dyed and it was a test piece so only ten inch square) to stretch things into

place and this is why the back is linen rather than silk. Linen was much easier to work with and I

understand the semi-circle on the top though I managed not to need one.

11.) Passementerie flowers for the crown= As far as project excuses go – this was a doozy. There are 60

total petals, 10 in each of the six flowers. Of the 30 green petals – half are done with silk Ovale and the

other half with silk Trame’, all over velum. The 15 pink petals were a single strand of Soie Perlee wrap on

silk wrapped Pearl Purl. The 15 cream petals were in silk Ovale wrapped over velum. Each petal has a

wire support – the green ones also have a metal charm on them that was twisted into the wire before

7 Not all the hoods were embroidered, some were painted. I have theories about this that go way beyond the scope of this project. I also had to punch holes in coins, figure out the little loops and I used amethyst beads. 8 The fact that it is most likely a latter addition is discussed in the hood analysist so no other documentation. 9 I do not know who gave me that particular piece of silk. After completing the hood I realized that I probably should have lined up the trim differently.

wrapping. Creating the flowers should have been about half the time spent on the entire project. The

original flowers were presumably attached to relics and then reassembled into crowns as part of the

recycling project so I probably could have been more creative in my flower choices. I neglected to put

the little crosses on the pink petals because I didn’t care for how they looked.

Size wise my pink petals are the same as the example but my cream and green petals are a bit

longer/larger. The overall effect is roughly the same as the example. Trame’ is finer than sewing thread

and very time consuming to use so I would have been better off with smaller petals.

12.) Weave the flowers together into a metal crown= This too, was more difficult than I thought it

should be. The thought behind it is that the flowers can’t just be stuck into the skull like it’s made of

Styrofoam but they need to stand-up a bit from the skull and my wire stems were not sufficient to tie

them all together. I added one piece of 16 gauge wire that I bent into a curved oval (double backing on

half so when I wrapped the flower stems to it they didn’t just roll around) and then attached the stems,

wrapped them with foot-long pieces of 28 gauge wire to secure them, and then covered the whole of it

with a yard of green silk ribbon specifically for this kind of thing. It did not cover completely, and I like

the way it looks so I’m not going to add more ribbon. (The overall newness of this one compared to the

originals is jarring to my eyes and so leaving it gives it a minor flaw that offsets the newness.)

13.) Attach crown to the rest of the fabric- This was a total happy accident! I made the hood so the

flowers could be removed because I will have to transport this thing and I figured it would be best that

way. After I got the hood all sewn up, I slipped the crown in there and pinned it in and wouldn’t you

know – the small wave in the fabric matched up perfectly with the small wave in the crown! It was a sign

I think – a sign that this was meant to be. I found a nice pin for it (A gift from HRM Ylva Jonsdottir made

by Master Shandrake Vale)

14.) Decide (when it is all finished) if this was a productive way to spend your time- It sure is pretty and

it is a good and small thing, an easy way to transport flowers. I think I can also use it to teach a class on

the Iconoclastic Fury of 1566 because that whole rabbit hole was very fascinating to me. I’m pleased

with the way it turned out though I think red would have stood out better – I gave mine some fun

embellishments that I have seen in other period pieces and I constructed it in a way that the skull can be

removed. I also had to stuff lots of fabric bits in there to stiffen it up. Overall it went quickly (one month)

because I really “got into it.”

15.) Write down all the things you learned and find a good place to display the skull. I think I will have to

make a display pillow for it, with little tassels. Then it can sit on the shrine when it’s all said and done. I

learned a lot as I’ve not tried to do anything like this before (except the flowers.) Because there is a lot

of variety and not a lot of repetition it was a good project – a sampler for more than just needlework.

Things I learned:

▪ New skills like finger-loop braids, applique, and how to encase things in fabric.

▪ Linen is much better than silk when it comes to some things.

▪ The best way to find out why a thing was done a certain way is to do the thing.

▪ Seemly small projects can eat up large hunks of time.

▪ Documenting stuff is still not my strong suit.

▪ I should have used bigger beads!

It occurs to me that this was a project with far more depth than I originally intended. I made things for

this project that originally were recycled. If the hoods had been assembled post period then I still would

have been alright with just creating the crown. The following information is about the MA on the front:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01022a.htm

Popular inscriptions are I.H.S. Iesus Hominum Salvator ("Jesus Saviour of Men" — usual interpretation).

Really a faulty Latin transliteration of the first three letters of JESUS in Greek (IHS for IHC). And M.A. which is

Magister Artium or Master of Arts but in this instance, I think it has more to do with Martyr or Memoria (in

memory). I am thinking B.M. which is Bonae Memoriae (“Of Happy Memory”). Then I found this:

http://www.lutheranlayman.com/2013/03/what-does-vdma-mean.html Manet in Aeternum Endures Forever

VDMA, standing for the Latin motto Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum. This symbol was inscribed on

swords, cannons and armor used by the Smalcaldic League which was formed to be a mutual defense

organization, against the Catholic princes trying to overthrow the Reformation in the various territories of

Germany that had embraced it.

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever is the motto of the Lutheran Reformation, a confident

expression of the enduring power and authority of God’s Word. The motto is based on Isaiah 40:6-8

quoted by 1 Peter 1:24-25. It first appeared in the court of Frederick the Wise in 1522. He had it sewn

onto the right sleeve of the court’s official clothing, which was worn by prince and servant alike. It was

used by Frederick’s successors, his brother John the Steadfast, and his nephew John Frederick the

Magnanimous. It became the official motto of the Smalcaldic League and was used on flags, banners,

swords, and uniforms as a symbol of the unity of the Lutheran laity who struggled to defend their beliefs,

communities, families and lives against those who were intent on destroying them.*

*From Concordia The Lutheran Confessions, by Concordia Publishing House. Used with

permission. All rights reserved.

“The Word of the Lord Endures Forever.” This “is the motto of the Lutheran Reformation, a confident expression of the enduring power and authority of God’s Word. The motto is based on 1 Peter 1:24-25.” (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, 2). Of course, this resonates with the truth found elsewhere in the holy Scriptures.

Luke 21:33 (ESV) 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

I hope that helps to finally put to rest the mystery surrounding these four seemingly random letters that

tend to show up in Lutheran circles.

Translation of Herkenrode 10

Frieda Sorber, Fanny Van Cleven and Shirin Van Eenhooge, Online Inventory of the Relic

Treasure of Herkenrode: material-technical research and report of the conservation treatment

(research project, KIK, 2007 - 2010)

http://balat.kikirpa.be/object/62229

http://river.kikirpa.be/herkenrode

Barrel-shaped skull relic 010

Documentation KIK

Inventory number Herkenrode_010

KIK Object number 62229

KIK File number 2010.10603

KIK Cliche numbers

- 1992: M278808, di073718, di073720

- 2008: X038827, LX038982, LX038825, LX038983, LX038990, LX038984

- 2010: X045038, X045041, X045040, X045039, X045080

Description

There are no skulls in the barrel-shaped skull relics, but, after radiographic examination, the

shape turned out obtained through a bundle of bones and tissue fragments, among others.

They all have a similar structure: linen hat painted in situ; forehead and chin strap, whether or

not decorated, in the same fabric that is bordered with galon in metal wire; face

in linen, whether or not decorated with bobbin lace; often a schedula and a bottom of parchment;

and optionally an addition of (flower) crown.

Stratigraphic structure of the relic: material technical and scientific research

10.0. Internal structure

Radiographic research revealed that it is a bundle of bones that are used with

textile fragments are held together, creating a sort of skull shape

10.1. Cap (W: IBaT2) ((D: VI.T.1)

With coarse overhand stitches in yellow silk, a hat shape is sewn from linen. It is painted locally

with a red pigment.

10.2. Chin strap

10.2.1. Chain satin with stripes (W: ICgT2)

Yellow chain satin 5 with horizontal stripes in gold thread. On the left there is a fragment added,

but in the vertical direction. Both fragments are put together with hidden stitches in yellow side.

Dimensions: width left fragment: 2.3 cm

Dating stylistically: late 16th-early 17th century

10.2.2. Embroidery (D: IT7)

Application embroidery MA with a horizontal bar above it. Manufactured in red velvet (W:

II.AT3), with cords of gold thread twisted at the contours.

Dimensions: length: 11.3 cm - height: 3.6 cm

Four flowers in gold thread supplemented with four dark blue glass beads (D: II. T.2). In the

flower below left two beads are missing, all beads are missing at the top right.

Dimensions: diameter flower: approx. 2 cm

Two metal plates (D: III. T.1a) are sewn, one on each side of the monogram. Are still at the

bottom noticeable traces of a missing plate.

10.2.3. Edge finishing (D: VIII.AT11)

On the four sides of the chin strap, the edge is finished with a flat braid in 4 gold threads, 1 on 1

down braided. It is attached with overhand stitches in yellow silk.

10.2.4. White cotton or linen lining

10.3 (a) Forehead

Rectangular forehead band that is attached to the reverse side with overhand stitches.

Dating stylistically: late 16th-early 17th century

10.3.1. Yellow satin (W: ICdT2)

10.3.2. Edge finishing (D: VIII.AT11)

The border on the front and the two short sides is bordered with a flat braid of four threads, 1 on

1 down. On the back, the edge is probably finished with a twisted gold thread cord.

10.3.3. Lining (W: ICdT1)

10.3 (b) Flower crown (D: VT1 - VT2a)

Flower crown made from a metal wire where flowers are set up. The crown is placed on top of

the cap secured with large overhand stitches in white twisted linen.

Crown with six flowers mounted on a base of a laiton wire wrapped with pink silk. Alternately

pink flowers with round petals and white flowers with elongated petals.

Dimensions: circumference of the crown: approx. 24 cm - distance between the flowers: 1.7 to 2

cm

Dating stylistically: late 15th-early 16th century

10.3b.1. Pink flowers

Flower hearts are all but one in technique 1, just like the five round petals (D: VT1).

The five green bracts are type 2 (D: VT2a) in technology, and have silver-colored ends

lover (D: III. T.2b). The stems of the flowers are wrapped in green and blue

cotton thread.

Dimensions: diameter flower: 3.5 cm - height flowers: approx. 4 cm - diameter heart: approx. 1

cm - diameter round leaves: 0.8 to 1 cm - length of green leaves: 1.5 to 1.8 cm - width of green

leaves: 0.6 to 0.8 cm

10.3b.2. White flowers

Flower heart in, D: VT1, and the five round petals and bracts in, D: VT2a, at the leaf tips of

there is always a silver-colored spangle on the bracts (D: III. T.2b).

The stems of the flowers are wrapped with a green and blue cotton thread.

Dimensions: diameter flower: approx. 4 cm - height flowers 3.5 to 4.3 cm - diameter heart:

approx. 1.2 cm - length white

leaves: 1.3 to 1.6 cm - width of white leaves: 0.6 to 0.8 cm - length of green leaves: 1.5 to 1.8 cm

10.4. Face

10.4.1. Linen fabric (W: IBaT4a)

10.4.2. Metal bobbin lace (D: VII.BT9)

A double strip of bobbin lace is applied over the face. The clips are confirmed with recent pins

on the forehead.

Dating stylistically: 18th century

10.5. Soil (D: IV. T.2)

Oval parchment, original folio of a psalm book, attached with overhand stitches on it

an underlay in pinkish beige linen.

Dimensions: width: 9.5 cm - length: 10 cm

Dating stylistically: early 13th century

10.6. Schedula (D: IV. T.3)

Parchment schedula with illegible text in reddish-brown ink, sewn on with twisted white linen

bottom layer in white linen fabric.

Dimensions: length: 6.5 cm - width: 1.7 cm

This barrel-shaped skull relic is generally in good condition.

The schedula has become dirty and illegible.

The satin of the chin strap is in good condition, although wear can still be seen under the

binocular.

The Decoration of the chin strap is in good condition. There is a mask at the bottom in the

middle, the sewing traces of this are still clearly visible. The left mask is heavily corroded. The

flower on the top right has no more beads, the flower at the bottom left has two more.

The bobbin side is in good condition.

The yellow satin of the forehead band is in good condition. The lining, on the other hand, shows

heavy wear and tear torn.

The painted hat is intact.

The parchment on the bottom is very dirty, making the majority of the text unreadable.

The linen that covers the forehead is dirty but still in good condition.

All the sewing thread and the edge finish are still in very good condition.

Restoration treatment in KIK

Bibliography Pictures of the hoods:

There are 50 hoods in this category on the Belgium Museum website balat.kikirpa.be and I have

chosen to highlight the following because they most resemble what I was trying to achieve:

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045108&objnr=61561&nr=9 IHS with 12 pictures

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X043451&objnr=61683&nr=21 MA with 11 pictures

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045038&objnr=62229&nr=28 MA 2 of 9 pictures shown

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045034&objnr=62235&nr=29 IHS with 12 pictures

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045046&objnr=62254&nr=33 MA with 9 pictures and group

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045022&objnr=62276&nr=44 MA with 10 pictures – no lace

http://balat.kikirpa.be/photo.php?path=X045013&objnr=61589&nr=12 MA 13 pictures – no bottom

All the hoods have analysis documents in Dutch and I have spoken to Freida Sorber (who worked on

them) as she was the curator who allowed me to see the Besloten Hofje shrines when I was in Belgium.

She was adamant that you can’t tell how old something is by looking at it, but you can tell if it

stylistically fits into a period. I so totally understand what she meant now that I see these hoods.

http://www.glossa.fi/mirator/pdf/i-2015/themedievalskullrelic.pdf dates to 1300s

Information on the Utrecht relics from the journal MADOC (2007):

http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_mad001200701_01/_mad001200701_01_0038.php

Information on the Iconoclastic Fury: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeldenstorm but there are lots of

good scholarly articles I haven’t had time to read yet.

Bock, Sebastian and Böhler, Lothar Hrsg. Bestandskataloge der weltlichen Ortsstiftungen der Stadt

Freiburg i. Br. Band 3 Die Klosterarbeiten Germany 1999

Crabb-Edwards, Jonalee Besloten Hofje: Exploring the Flower Shrines Blurb 2015

Museum Cloiser Bentlage Eure Gebeine warden wie Pflanzen sprossen Westfalen Germany 1999