The Lothair Crystal
- Audio guide stop: 467
- Gallery: Room 41
- Culture: Carolingian; Medieval
- Made in: Aachen (?); Lotharingia (historic) (?)
- Date: 855-869 (?; crystal); 15thC (frame); 843-855 (?; crystal)
- Object type: intaglio, morse
- Materials: rock crystal; gold; copper
- Museum number: 1855,1201.5
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is "The Lothair Crystal," a rock crystal disc from the Carolingian period. Created between 855 and 869, it features beautifully engraved scenes from the biblical Story of Susanna. The images show moments such as Susanna’s temptation, the Elders plotting, and the dramatic confrontation with Daniel. The carving is detailed—gated gardens, gabled rooftops, and expressive figures are all carefully etched into the crystal. The piece is framed in copper-gilt with leafy borders, likely added in the fifteenth century. Latin inscriptions appear across the scenes, highlighting key moments in the story. While its exact purpose is unclear, it may have been worn as a jeweled brooch, or a "morse." The crystal was once part of an abbey in Belgium and resurfaced in the 1800s before entering British Museum collections. Its journey is as fascinating as the scenes etched into its surface.
See it in person
The Lothair Crystal is on display in Room 41 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 467, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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