Nicholas of Verdun

masterful enamel artist

Nicholas of Verdun is born in Verdun in 1150. Even though not much is known about his life, he is recognised as one of the main masters of Romanesque enamel art. He works mainly in Klosterneuburg, Cologne and Tournai in Belgium as a goldsmith and enamel artist. Apart from the Verdun altar his name only appears on the Marian shrine in Tournai Cathedral. There he refers to himself as Master Nicholas of Verdun. It’s relatively certain that he was involved in the creation of the shrine of the 3 Magi in Cologne between 1181 and 1230, primarily because of the embosser used in both Klosterneuburg and on the Magi shrine. Nicholas of Verdun dies in around 1205.