Limoges School
Christ in Majesty
French, circa 1188
Engraved and gilt copper, champlevé enamel
The Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California
The museum suggests that this piece may have been on an altar frontal with similar sculptures of saints and angels. Images with the enthroned Christ attended by sacred figures are indeed well known in medieval works such as
this mosaic
and
this exterior relief. As in those others, Christ raises his right hand to bless the viewer and holds a book in his left. As usual in sculptures, there is a crown instead of a halo. This iconographic type traditionally has Christ on a throne; in this case, the throne is absent although the figure posed as if seated.
The wounds Christ suffered in his hands, side, and feet are not typically pictured in this kind of image, so it is likely that the pins in the feet of this example are simply functional.
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Photographed at the museum by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.