Charlemagne (Karl der Große) 2011-08-11 Charlemagne (742 - 814) was king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor. He is credited with starting the French and German lines of kings, and was the first to unify Europe. His seat was at Aachen (Aix la Chapelle). In the cathedral treasury they have his bust, shown here. The top of the bust opens - the top of his skull is stored inside. The bust is from 1349, and the crown was worn by Charles IV. Oh, and I nearly forgot to add great thanks for yesterday's comments - the shot landed in the top ten! [This shot is from the same museum]
The Pala d'Oro in Aachen (Aix la Chapelle) 2011-08-09 Created around the year 1000, it decorates the front of the altar in the Aachen cathedral. In the middle is Christ. The twelve panels tell his story from entering Jerusalem to the women finding the empty grave. The four circles hold the symbols of the four evangelists. Many many thanks for your numerous and excellent comments on yesterday's "beggar" sculpture. Very very appreciated. Thanks. A great community.
Lock 2011-08-10 The cathedral in Aachen (Aix le Chapelle) has several holy relics. These are kept locked away on shown only during the pilgrimage that takes place once every seven years. The case is locked with an ornate lock that is not unlocked but broken and replaced at each pilgrimage. This is one of those locks, displayed in the Treasury. The case has a mirror so you can see the back side as well. This shot is definitely not SOOC. Slightly rotated and the color balance adjusted, but most of the work was removing the dust. Thanks for yesterday's comments. Yes, the exposure was tricky on yesterday's shot - but the main problem was to find a shooting location where the overhead lights did not reflect off the gold.
![Charlemagne (Karl der Große)
2011-08-11 Charlemagne (742 - 814) was king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor. He is credited with starting the French and German lines of kings, and was the first to unify Europe. His seat was at Aachen (Aix la Chapelle). In the cathedral treasury they have his bust, shown here. The top of the bust opens - the top of his skull is stored inside. The bust is from 1349, and the crown was worn by Charles IV.
Oh, and I nearly forgot to add great thanks for yesterday's comments - the shot landed in the top ten! [This shot is from the same museum]](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-fcphDHp/0/L/i-fcphDHp-L.jpg)
