Pendant
1800-1870 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
After the prolonged and destructive Thirty Years War of 1618-48, Europe split into a Catholic south and a Protestant north. This led to a massive expansion in the use of religious imagery in the Catholic area. Many rulers added saints to their coinage, and coins carrying the image of Mary, often, as here, portrayed as the specific patron and protector of the region, became popular as talismans. These Mariamünzen, or Mary coins, were often gilded and set in pendants, like this one.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, partly gilded, enclosing a gilded coin |
| Brief description | Silver pendant, partly gilded, enclosing a thaler coin dated 1775, Bavaria (Germany), 1800-1870. |
| Physical description | Religious pendant, consisting of a silver thaler coin, gilded on the front, of Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria, dated 1775, set in a chain mount. The reverse side, with an image of the Virgin and the words 'PATRONA BAVARIAE' (patron of Bavaria) forms the front of the pendant. The coin hangs by chains from an openwork stamped crown, with a large suspension loop above it. A gilded pendant Maltese cross hangs from the lower edge, between two gilded acorns, and there is a gilded heart suspended between the two chains at the top. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'PATRONA BAVARIAE' (On reverse of coin.)
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | After the prolonged and destructive Thirty Years War of 1618-48, Europe split into a Catholic south and a Protestant north. This led to a massive expansion in the use of religious imagery in the Catholic area. Many rulers added saints to their coinage, and coins carrying the image of Mary, often, as here, portrayed as the specific patron and protector of the region, became popular as talismans. These Mariamünzen, or Mary coins, were often gilded and set in pendants, like this one. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 95-1872 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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