Christmas Greeting
Greetings Card
second half of 19th century (made)
second half of 19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The tradition of kissing beneath the mistletoe, the central theme of this Christmas greetings card, originates in an old Norse practice of warring enemies calling truce under mistletoe, sealing their pledge with a kiss. The kiss symbolised an exchange of souls. Apart from encouraging peace and reconciliation, mistletoe was believed to have medicinal and healing properties.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Christmas Greeting (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Chromolithograph on paper card |
| Brief description | Christmas card bearing mistletoe motif |
| Physical description | Chromolithograph depicting two children collecting mistletoe and holly branches in a wood. An open clearing forms the cartouche bearing a Christmas poem. The young boy carries a mistletoe branch in one hand and a holly branch in the other. The young girl reaches out to pluck a sprig of mistletoe. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The tradition of kissing beneath the mistletoe, the central theme of this Christmas greetings card, originates in an old Norse practice of warring enemies calling truce under mistletoe, sealing their pledge with a kiss. The kiss symbolised an exchange of souls. Apart from encouraging peace and reconciliation, mistletoe was believed to have medicinal and healing properties. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 28897:8 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 16, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
