The reliquary bust of Saint Lambert, hosted in the Treasure of the Liège Cathedral, was produced in the early 15th century. This exceptional goldsmithery piece is covered with gold‐coated silver, and decorated by approximately 400 stones, analysed by Raman and pXRF techniques to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition. The results confirm the identification of one hundred pearls, twenty‐six rock crystals, ten amethysts, two diamonds, and numerous glass beads with a green, blue, colourless, turquoise, orange or red colour. The glass beads show a soda‐lime composition, confirming that they are contemporary of the bust and imported from Venice, as reported by historical sources. Orange beads show a lead composition and the red stone a triplet with quartz, indicating that they were added to the bust later. The cutting of gems and beads shows also a significant evolution. The metal contains approximately 60% of Au and 40% of Ag. The origin of gemstones was difficult to establish, due to the absence of characteristic trace elements, but the chemical elements used for the manufacture and colouring of the beads were determined. This study confirms the trade of stones between Liège and Venice during medieval times.

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Abstract. The reliquary crown, hosted in the diocesan museum of Namur, was produced during the beginning of the 13th century to shelter a fragment of the holy crown of thorns. This beautiful piece of goldsmithery is made of eight gold plates, topped by round lobes, and connected to each other by hinges blocked with a pin decorated by a pearl. The crown is decorated by filigrees, flowers, and approximately 400 pearls and coloured (green, reddish pink, turquoise, red, blue) stones showing simple cutting with various sizes and shapes. Raman and portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) techniques have been used to determine the nature and sources of all samples, as well as the composition of filigrees. Analyses have identified emeralds from Pakistan, reddish pink spinels from Tajikistan, red almandine garnets from India, turquoise from Iran, blue sapphires from Sri Lanka or Myanmar, and European pearls. The filigrees contain approximately 86 wt % Au, 7 wt % Ag, and 7 wt % Cu, thus confirming a gold-rich composition. The gemstones, contemporary with the crown, probably arrived in Europe by the silk trade road.

A la mémoire de dom Nicolas Huyghebaert, o.s.b. 18. ... sub monachili tunica se laïcurn m utavit [P oppo] tamque officio quam nomine monachus iam diu esse d id icit (c. 7). 19. Toutes les dates données jusqu'à présent (pèlerinages, entrée en religion) sont purement hypothétiques, hormis la date de naissance du saint. Nous n'entrerons pas ici dans le détail, accessoire pour notre propos. 20. Une vraie amitié unit ces hommes : quomodo anim a lonathae anim ae D avid colligata f u it (c. 11, référence à I Sam 18, 1). 21. Frethericus, qui Gozelonem ducem carne germanum habens (c. 11). Frédéric, comte de Verdun (ca 964-1022), frère de Gothelon Ier, duc de Lotharingie (y 1044), tous deux fils de Godefroid de Verdun (f après 995). M. Parisse, « Généalogie de la Maison d'Ardenne », dans La M aison d 'Ardenne, X e-X F siècles.

L’attention pour la mise en valeur et la conservation du patrimoine artistique d’un trésor d’église n’est pas neuve. Toute une série d’initiatives heureuses atteste la sollicitude envers ces témoins privilégiés d’art et d’histoire : des pionniers ont marqué leur époque que ce soit à Conques, à Reims ou Sens pour n’en citer que trois en France. Au Louvre, en 1991, l’exposition du Trésor de Saint-Denis et le colloque organisé dans la foulée ouvraient la porte à un renouveau tous azimuts dans le..