A Thousand Words: The Armillae of Andrey Bogolyubsky

HIP / ART RESOURCE, NY

These gilded and enameled copper plates, called armillae (sing. armilla), were affixed with cords or ribbons to the shoulders of ceremonial or liturgical vestments. Originating in Roman times, when they were given to soldiers as emblems of valor, armillae remained popular signs of status and prestige in Europe up through the Middle Ages. Vanishingly few medieval examples have survived, however, making this remarkably well-preserved set exceptionally significant.

This pair of armillae was likely given by Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor in the 12th century, as a gift to the Russian prince Andrey Bogolyubsky in c. 1170. The beautifully enameled scenes on each are highly detailed. One armilla shows the Crucifixion, complete with two angels, Mary, John, the spear-wielding Longinus, Stephaton offering the sponge soaked with vinegar, and Roman soldiers casting lots for Jesus’s garments. The other armilla shows the Resurrection, with two angels welcoming Jesus from his tomb and the sleeping Roman soldiers below.

© RMN-GRAND PALAIS / ART RESOURCE, NY

Over the centuries, this pair of armillae was split up; the one showing the Crucifixion found its way into the German National Museum, while its counterpart with the Resurrection ended up in the Louvre in Paris. Nevertheless, longstanding tradition holds that both pieces belonged to Bogolyubsky, although some recent scholarship has called into question the connection between the two.