800-year-old figure of Christ returned to York

A 800-year old figure taken from the ruins of an abbey in York has been returned to the country after being found at an auction in Germany.

The gilded and enameled figure of Christ from York’s St Mary’s Abbey has been purchased by the Yorkshire Museum.

It originally belonged to the monks of the Abbey and is believed to have stayed hidden in the partial ruins following the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII for hundreds of years.

Very few medieval objects have a known provenance linking them to a major English Abbey as few survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries of the 1530s.

A sticker on the back of the newly acquired figure says it was “found in the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey at York: in 1826”.

The 16cm figure’s next location however, remained a mystery.

Following its rediscovery in 1826 it disappeared for 100 years, only emerging in the collections of German art collector Franz Monheim of Aachen in the 1920s.

Passed down to his family, it remained in Germany until parts of the collection were put up for auction.

The 13th Century figurine was made in Limoges, France, around the time that St Mary’s Abbey (1271 – 1294) was in the process of a rebuild.

It has remains of enamel champlevé decoration and is embellished with stone settings on the crown, eyes and loincloth.

The museum now hopes to solve the mystery of who discovered it in 1826 and where it went for the 100 years.

Lucy Creighton, curator of archaeology at the Yorkshire Museum, said: “Looking at the style of the label and writing it probably doesn’t date to the time of the discovery but to the first person who acquired this for their collection.”

Creighton estimates that the sticker could be up to 200 years old.

Creighton plans to trawl through newspapers, gentleman’s magazines and the minutes of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, who are responsible for the Yorkshire Museum being built on the site of the Abbey.

She added: “The Figure of Christ is a stunning example of 13th Century religious art - few examples survived in this country in such a complete state.

“This alone would make it a very special object but to be able to trace its origins to St Mary’s Abbey where the Yorkshire Museum now stands, means it is incredibly rare and extremely valuable find.

“It gives us new insight into the treasures which once decorated the Abbey and provides rare tangible evidence of the wealth and power the ecclesiastical institution once held.

“It is a real thrill to be able to put it on display just a stone’s throw from where it would have been on show 800 years ago. ”

It will now go on display in the museum, alongside other new acquisitions and iconic objects such as the York Helmet, Gilling Sword and Ormside Bowl which have returned from a national tour.