Rosaries were used throughout Catholic Europe as an aid to prayer. The basic form, of small beads interspersed at regular intervals by larger beads, was the same everywhere, but the details varied according to local tradition. It was common to reuse and replace parts so it is not always easy to identify where a rosary was made.

Most of the elements of this rosary come from the South German region. The large filigree credo cross, which is placed above the pendant on the short strip hanging off the main circle, the pendant itself, and the small container hanging below it, are all typical of south German rosaries, and were probably made at Schwäbisch Gmünd. The pendant is an Ulrichkreuz, a souvenir of the abbey of SS Ulrich and Afra at Augsburg, and carries the first letters of the saint’s name (Saint Vlrich). The small container below it is another religious amulet, from the abbey of St Walburga at Eichstätt, and also carries her identification (Saint WalBurga). It would originally have held a small glass phial of liquid from her tomb. The cast objects interspersed among the beads of the rosary are called the Arms of Christ; they represent various items associated with the Passion of Jesus at the time of his Crucifixion. The glass beads probably come from Venice, whose luxury objects were traded widely at the time.