Investiture of a Bishop
This plaque, made of champlevé enamel around 1180, shows a seated ruler on the viewer’s right. He holds an orb of the world in his left hand, while with his right he gives the monk on the left a cross-standard. The inscription at the top says “E-P FIT,” meaning “He becomes bishop.” What is depicted here, then, is the investiture of a bishop by a king. In the eleventh century, this practice came under heavy criticism by church reformers. By the time this plaque was made, the reformers had made their point. The artist put the focus on the monk who was about to become bishop: he wears a halo and looms in size over the king. In addition, the inscription makes him—rather than the king—the subject of the story. (Museum for the Arts and Industry, Hamburg, Germany / Interfoto / akg-images.)