The Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist
Pax
ca. 1500 (made)
ca. 1500 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Plaquettes are small plaques made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector’s pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to bookbindings.
The pax, introduced in the Middle Ages, was kissed by the priest and congregation before taking communion. This relief is a rare example of a pax with its handle still attached. It would have been held up during the Mass as a devotional image for worship.
The pax, introduced in the Middle Ages, was kissed by the priest and congregation before taking communion. This relief is a rare example of a pax with its handle still attached. It would have been held up during the Mass as a devotional image for worship.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Pax, the Virgin and Child, bronze, by an unknown artist, Italy, ca. 1500 |
| Physical description | Pax, showing the holy family, within a frontispiece or tabernacle. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Plaquettes are small plaques made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector’s pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to bookbindings. The pax, introduced in the Middle Ages, was kissed by the priest and congregation before taking communion. This relief is a rare example of a pax with its handle still attached. It would have been held up during the Mass as a devotional image for worship. |
| Bibliographic reference | Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1860. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 31 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 6977-1860 |
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| Record created | May 10, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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