Religious Pendant thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Religious Pendant

1800-1890 (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 an increase in the number of pilgrimage sites in the Catholic area, and a massive expansion in the production of religious medals, crosses and souvenir jewellery, often in a form that was specific to a particular holy site. Worshippers believed that images of saints or the Virgin and Child could work miracles and offer protection against illness or the dangers of travel. Women in Catholic countries commonly wore crosses and other religious objects as jewellery with their traditional dress.

The medallion in this pendant is stamped with the image of the Virgin of Loreto on one side, and St Anthony of Padua on the other. Loreto and Padua were two of the most important pilgrimage sites in north-east Italy, and attracted pilgrims from Austria and southern Germany as well as the local region. It is mounted in filigree, which was a speciality of Italy in the 19th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver filigree with a cast silver medallion
Brief description
Silver filigree pendant with a medallion of the Virgin of Loreto (Italy), 1800-1890.
Physical description
Filigree pendant, with a medallion set in the centre, with the Virgin of Loreto on one side, and St. Anthony of Padua on the other.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.4cm
  • Width: 4.3cm
  • Depth: 0.6cm
Object history
Bought from Dr Marco Guastalla for £1/10/0 on 16th April 1890
Subjects depicted
Place 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 an increase in the number of pilgrimage sites in the Catholic area, and a massive expansion in the production of religious medals, crosses and souvenir jewellery, often in a form that was specific to a particular holy site. Worshippers believed that images of saints or the Virgin and Child could work miracles and offer protection against illness or the dangers of travel. Women in Catholic countries commonly wore crosses and other religious objects as jewellery with their traditional dress.

The medallion in this pendant is stamped with the image of the Virgin of Loreto on one side, and St Anthony of Padua on the other. Loreto and Padua were two of the most important pilgrimage sites in north-east Italy, and attracted pilgrims from Austria and southern Germany as well as the local region. It is mounted in filigree, which was a speciality of Italy in the 19th century.
Collection
Accession number
327-1890

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Record createdJanuary 4, 2008
Record URL
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