Discovering the Saint Thomas Aquinas reliquary with Discovery Mat

June, 2023

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In June 2023, at the convent of the Jacobins in central Toulouse, two conservators of the laboratory MATERIA VIVA (Typhaine Brocard-Rosa and Caroline Moreau) have restored the reliquary shrine of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The shrine was made in 1877 by Joseph Favier, a goldsmith established in Toulouse and from a family of goldsmiths from Lyon. It is a large shrine made of gilded copper alloy:  84 cm high, 95 cm long and 52 cm wide, weighing an estimated 110kg.

It was a perfect opportunity for the team to use «Discovery Mat» and share the first results with Marie Bonabel, chief curator and director of the Jacobins convent. The analyses focused on two non-gilded areas: a decorative element on one side of the shrine and an area on the roof. In both cases, the metal was found to be gilded brass and not a bronze. The analyses are still being carried out, but they have already made it possible to specify the metal on the cartel intended for visitors.

Being able to carry out analyses in a quick time, on-site and on a piece of art that cannot be easily moved has been an asset for the restoration and the knowledge of the shrine of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

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