A pax (Latin: 'peace') is a small plaque with a representation of the Crucifixion or other religious subject on the face and a projecting handle on the back. Paxes symbolised the kiss or embrace which the priest celebrating mass passed to his subordinates, and which was then transferred to the congregation. The pax was kissed first by the celebrant, and then by others who received it (and kissed it) in turn.

This pax, and a plaque from another also in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A M.204-1956), were probably made for the Carthusian Monastery of Miraflores, Burgos, which was founded by John II of Castile in 1441 and, after a fire, rebuilt in 1453-1484. The maker of this pax, Juan de Horna (or Orna) (ca. 1475-1543) lived and worked in Burgos, the main centre for silversmithing in Castile (central Spain). Horna was praised by sixteenth-century writers for designing and decorating his pieces using motifs from the Classical past, at a time when the Classical style in Spain was arguably most evident in architecture and sculpture. Modern scholars have described this pax as a masterpiece of Renaissance Spanish silver.