Eleanor of Aquitaine's Rock Crystal Vase

Objects of art were more than just keepsakes in the Medieval era.  They could also be status symbols, special occasions gifts, collateral and offerings to churches.  A beautiful rock crystal vase once belonging to Eleanor of Aquitaine and now in the possession of the Louvre in Paris probably fulfilled all of these roles.

The vase is made of rock crystal, with a gold base and neck inset with jewels.  It was of Muslim manufacture, dating to about the 800's.  It was first given to William IX, the troubadour Duke of Aquitaine.  It then passed into the possession of his granddaughter, Eleanor.  When she married Louis VII of France in 1137, she presented the vase to him as a wedding present.  Later, When Eleanor and Louis' marriage broke up, the vase remained with him.  An inscription on the vase indicates that he later gifted it to the Abbey of St. Denis.  St. Denis is one of the patrons of France and the Abbey was an important resting place for deceased French kings and royals.  Thus, this was an expensive gift to an important shrine within Louis' realm.  The treasures of St. Denis and other French churches and cathedrals were looted during the French Revolution, but the vase survived and eventually made its way into the collection of the Louvre.