Card/Transcription No.: 239-07

8
Note for No. 239 - The Fourth (innermost) Shrine

This shrine was made slightly too small to enclose the
sarcophagus. The mistake being a centimetre or so between the
upper interior dimensions of the shrine and the overall
measurement of the cornice of the sarcophagus which is not
truly rectilinear.  However, to overcome this error, the
workmen, who erected this shrine, left the joints between the
framework of the sides and ends of the shrine slightly open,
they also cut away the inner surface of the frieze of the west
end panel and made slight but similar enlargements at the
North and South-East inner corners.
The chips of wood cut from the inner surface of the top rail
of the west end panel were examined by Mr. L. A. Boodle, who
found them to be of two kinds, which he has identified as
being: - (1) cedar - Cedrus Atlantica, Manetti, or Cedrus
Libani, Barrelier; (2) Christ's Thorn - Zizyphus Spina
Christi, [...]. The chips of wood identified as cedar were
faced with gesso and gilded, and thus they evidently came from
the inner surface of the frieze; while the piece identified as
Christ's Thorn was not gilded, and was evidently a chip from
one of the cross-tongues