Suger's Eagle (''Aigle de Suger'') is an ancient Egyptian porphyry vase mounted in a medieval

silver-gilt Silver-gilt or gilded/gilt silver, sometimes known in American English by the French term vermeil, is silver (either pure or sterling) which has been gilded with gold. Most large objects made in goldsmithing that appear to be gold are actually ...

eagle. It is now displayed along with the French regalia in the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre. The vase likely dates to the second century AD. According to Abbot Suger, abbot of Saint-Denis (d. 1151), in his ''De administratione'', he found, "lying idly in a chest for many years, an Egyptian porphyry vase admirably shaped and polished." In his own words, he determined to adapt and transfer (''adaptavimus ... transferre'') it into a liturgical vessel "in the form of an eagle" (''in aquilae formam''), a symbol of Christ. Suger's Eagle is a typical case of the "careful preservation of the ancient relic in a setting which leaves it completely intact." On the bottom of the eagle is a nielloed ''

titulus Titulus, the Latin word for "title", "label" or "inscription" (plural ''tituli'', normally italicized), may or may not be italicized as a foreign word, and may refer to: * ''Titulus'', or Titular church, one of a group of Early Christian churches ...

'': "This stone deserves to have mounts of gold and gems. / It was marble. Its settings are more precious than marble." Inscribed around the base of the neck, above the lip of the vessel, is a dedication to the church of Saint-Denis. The goldwork of the neck demonstrates superb chiselwork. Two large engravings from 1706 depict the

treasury of Saint-Denis The Treasury of Saint-Denis, kept at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris until the French Revolution, was the main repository of the '' regalia'' of the Kingdom of France, including the ''ancien régime'' portion of what are now known as the ...

(including the eagle vase) as it was then displayed, in a cabinet. Its popularity as a tourist attraction prevented the treasure's total destruction during the French Revolution. The eagle and three of Suger's other liturgical vessels— Queen Eleanor's vase and King Roger's decanter, both of rock crystal, and a sardonyx ewer—ended up in the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre.

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Porphyry vase, known as Suger's eagle, at the Louvre
Romanesque art Individual vases Medieval European metalwork objects