RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB, Curator

Religious relics are physical reminders of our connections to religious figures. The "Holy Thorn Reliquary" was created in 1397 to house one such relic: a single thorn from the crown of Christ's crucifixion. This container of gold, enamel, rock crystal, pearls, rubies, and sapphires is just 12 inches high and weighs only 3.1 pounds. Creating suitable housing for such a relic is why the British Museum's new gallery for the "Holy Thorn Reliquary" (detail above) is our NEWS OF WEEK.

In other religious art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Buddhist Art of Week: 18th century painting reclaimed by South Korea [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Bill Cosby's Christian art on display at Smithsonian [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Dealers are smuggling saints out of Hindu temples [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Quran fragments found dated to the birth of Islam [More News]
• Jewish Art of Week: Red cow is key to building third Temple in Jerusalem [More News]

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