The Henry of Blois Enamels: A(nother) Reassessment

Abstract

The so-called Henry of Blois enamels in the British Museum have received much attention over the years, but there is still no consensus as to their original function. This article reassesses the evidence, first in order to outline some fundamental doubts about the argument that has been championed most recently in the scholarship: that they were the terminals of a great cross; secondly, to offer new arguments, largely drawn from the nature and iconography of the plaques themselves, in favour of the claim that they belonged to an item of altar furnishing, most probably an altar frontal. A final section considers the evidence, such as it is, for that frontal belonging to the high altar of Winchester Cathedral.