Cross
1750-1800 (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. Worshippers in Catholic countries often wore relics and images of saints or the Virgin and Child in the belief that they could help protect them against illness and the dangers of daily life.
This silver filigree cross, with its flamboyant twisting leaves, is typical of the kind made in Venice. Similar religious pendants were made in Dalmatia, on the east coast of the Adriatic. The raised compartment in the centre opens with a hinge and would originally have contained a relic or something else of religious value.
This silver filigree cross, with its flamboyant twisting leaves, is typical of the kind made in Venice. Similar religious pendants were made in Dalmatia, on the east coast of the Adriatic. The raised compartment in the centre opens with a hinge and would originally have contained a relic or something else of religious value.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Silver filigree |
Brief description | Silver filigree reliquary cross, Venice (Italy), 1750-1800. |
Physical description | Silver filigree reliquary cross of rectangular shape, set in a frame of openwork filigree fronds. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | Bought from Dr Marco Guastalla for £2 on 16th April 1890 |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | After the prolonged and destructive Thirty Years War of 1618–48, Europe split into a Catholic south and a Protestant north. Worshippers in Catholic countries often wore relics and images of saints or the Virgin and Child in the belief that they could help protect them against illness and the dangers of daily life. This silver filigree cross, with its flamboyant twisting leaves, is typical of the kind made in Venice. Similar religious pendants were made in Dalmatia, on the east coast of the Adriatic. The raised compartment in the centre opens with a hinge and would originally have contained a relic or something else of religious value. |
Collection | |
Accession number | 338-1890 |
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Record created | July 31, 2006 |
Record URL |
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