reliquary

Object NameReliquary

Made FromGlass, Paper

Dateabout 1575-1700

Place MadeItaly, Venice

TechniqueBlown, applied

SizeOverall H: 13.5 cm; Foot Diam: 4.4 cm

Accession Number2009.3.97

Curatorial Area(s)

Early Modern

On ViewEuropean Gallery

Interpretive Notes

Web Text

Reliquaries were common in churches throughout Italy. They preserved and displayed bones, said to be those of saints.

Physical DescriptionReliquary. Colorless. Blown; applied. Vessel with cover. Globular bowl with short cylindrical neck and fire-polished rim; joined by merese to blown baluster atop second merese and blown inverted baluster; attached by merese to domed and waisted blown foot with infolded rim. Conical flanged cover with solid ball finial. Both bowl and cover have two small loops strung together with modern gold thread.

Vessel contains slender glass cylinder with hair(?) and paper label inscribed “1280/964” and “EX OSSIBUS et CAPILLIS / S. JOSEPHI BENEDICTI COTOLENGO conf’.”
Provenance

Source Cambi Casa D'Aste - 2009-10-15