Reliquary Pendant with Saint Dominic

This pendant held relics associated with the order of Dominican friars, followers of Saint Dominic (ca. 1170-1221). On the obverse, a man dressed in a Dominican habit receives fruits from a tree that are offered to him by a winged angel. This haloed man, who holds a rosary, might represent Saint Dominic himself. According to tradition, Saint Dominic planted the first citrus tree in Rome, propagated from a sprig from his native Spain. The fruits of this tree were used to make garlands gifted to popes and cardinals. The relic on the other side of the pendant is framed by white and gold rays, and may be related to the saint or this tree.

The first step of the amalierung technique, used to decorate this pendant, involved the application of a layer of gold leaf onto the rock crystal. Next, the negative space would be scratched away with a stylus to create the details of the saint’s halos and garments. Then, the artist would paint the image with translucent, colored resins. This technique required the reversal of a painter’s usual practice, as highlights in the foreground needed to be added before figures and the background, requiring the artist to keep the finished image in their mind while applying each layer. Finally, a sheet of reflective silver foil would be added to the back of the composition. Light is refracted through the rock crystal, passes through the translucent resins, and reflects off the backing, giving the image a luminous quality.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Henry Walters, Baltimore, by 1931, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.