Description
Reliquary; Spain, circa 1830. Paper and embroidery with reliquary. Damaged. It preserves intact sealing wax seals. Measurements: 34.5 x 31 x 7 cm. The production of this type of religious objects, designed to house the relics of saints, was common from the Gothic period onwards, with both crosses and the so-called "testas", which, in the documentation contemporary to their production, were very popular. They were used to contain relics. Although many of them took very different forms, they all had the same devotional purpose, which sometimes went beyond fanaticism. It should be remembered, however, that at that time almost anything that had been in contact with the saint or his mortal remains (cloths, burial soil, etc.) was considered a sacred relic. This triggered a whole market for such objects. The best examples were made of precious metals, but specimens such as the present one were also highly valued, both for their container and, above all, for their content.
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Reliquary; Spain, circa 1830. Paper and embroidery with reliquary. Damaged. It preserves intact sealing wax seals. Measurements: 34.5 x 31 x 7 cm. The production of this type of religious objects, designed to house the relics of saints, was common from the Gothic period onwards, with both crosses and the so-called "testas", which, in the documentation contemporary to their production, were very popular. They were used to contain relics. Although many of them took very different forms, they all had the same devotional purpose, which sometimes went beyond fanaticism. It should be remembered, however, that at that time almost anything that had been in contact with the saint or his mortal remains (cloths, burial soil, etc.) was considered a sacred relic. This triggered a whole market for such objects. The best examples were made of precious metals, but specimens such as the present one were also highly valued, both for their container and, above all, for their content.
