Artwork: Reliquary

Artist: Unknown

Created: 1250-1300 (Belgium possibly made)

Dimensions: Height: 22.6 cm

Width: 11.1 cm

Depth 5.1 cm

Weight: 0.32 kg

Materials and Techniques: Silver and gilt

Location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

Photography by LillynisthArtist’s

“A reliquary is a container for displaying precious relics, consisting of the bones and possessions associated with Christ and the saints. In the Middle Ages these relics were thought to have miraculous powers and were greatly venerated. The faithful believed that by praying, and by touching a reliquary, they would receive protection against sickness and ill fortune.

Reliquaries were generally made of precious materials – gold or silver, with enamel or gems – and they took many forms. Some were shaped to represent the saint, or a body part such as an arm, leg, head, foot or finger. Others were designed as a monstrance, with the relic on view inside a glass compartment (Latin ‘monstrare’ means ‘to show’). Another style of reliquary, the tempietto (meaning ‘little temple’), reflected architectural forms of the period.

In this case the hand probably originally formed part of an arm reliquary. The relics (now lost) would have been visible through the windows in the fingers. The ring is worn almost at the fingertip, a common practice throughout the Middle ages and well into the 16th century.” (Source V&AM)

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