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Reliquary in the Shape of the Bust of a Saint
(Baroque Europe )
This reliquary would originally have contained what was thought to be a body part or other physical remains of a saint. The richness of the container honors the sanctity of the relic (now lost). It would have been placed under glass in the morse (clasp) of a cope. While the bust dates from the 17th century, the head is an 18th-century replacement.
Protestants considered Catholics' deep devotion to the saints and their relics as bordering on idolatry. To counter this, the Church vigorously reasserted that while worship was due only to Christ and to God, the veneration, or honoring, of saints and also of their relics (as physical manifestations of their lives and merits) was important in gaining the aid of the saints in seeking God's mercy.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
F. Ongania, Venice [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/15/1958 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
Geographies
Italy (Place of Origin)
Measurements
10 3/16 x 8 7/8 in. (25.9 x 22.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.734