Cameo with Head of Ruler, 2nd Cent. before Christ
To the left of the centre arch on the front of the shrine is a cameo portrait of an unknown ruler in profile. It is set exactly between the enthroned Virgin Mother and the three Magi. It is possible that this cameo belonged to King Otto IV, who donated gold and precious stones for the front of the shrine sometime around the year 1200. For this reason, it is very likely that this cameo is intended not only as ornamentation, but also as an emphasis of the importance of the relics of the Magi to the theology of rulers in the Middle Ages.
Al-Jazari
1206
