Reliquary Pendant, Flagellation of Christ, Silver, Enamel, 16th Century

One of its fronts presents a textile background under a transparent glass, space that was surely designed to contain relics. The other side has a brightly colored enamel with the Vir...

Baby Jesus on pedestal. Polychrome wood. Mechelen, 16th century, with restorations. Carved and polychrome wooden Child Jesus standing on a pedestal of the same material, standing, a...

Portapaz. Silver in its color and gilded. Century XVI. Portapaz made of silver that has a handle (decorated with delicate plant motifs similar to those of the pilasters) and a female and a male bust at the bottom, as well as other architectural elements on the back, and, on the front, an architectural composition classicist basement (with busts flanking a flower and a cross), two pilasters (vegetal decoration and capital recalling the composite order) with entablature (flowers flanking an angel's head; moldings), and a semicircular arch finish with elements veined in relief under cross and flanked by two architectural motifs in the upper part. This composition frames and enhances a gilt silver relief where you can see the Lament or Cry over the Body of Christ, with the Virgin holding the head of Jesus, Saint John at her side, the Magdalene and other characters, a cross following the group and a landscape background with houses and plant elements. This architectural structure mentioned is similar to the one present in other 16th century portapaces, such as that of the Magdalena de Dos Hermanas parish (Hernando de Ballesteros el Mozo, around 1575); or that of the Galaroza parish (same author and date); or that of the portapaz of San Miguel de Jerez de los Caballeros (in some details); etc. As for the relief, it is possible to clearly see a strong Italian influence, and the similarity between it and important pieces such as the Portapaz known as “de Cisneros by Juan de Burgos (1493-1497; MuseoCatedralicio de Alcalá de Henares), as well as in paintings and reliefs. Also noteworthy are both the male and female busts in the lower area and the Maltese cross (or Saint John's) that appears in this area. This symbol was used since the 12th century as an insignia by the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Order of Malta...

Acetre. Bronze. Century XVI. Bronze piece that has a circular foot, and a circular body, with an outwardly hollowed mouth at the top, and a decoration in relief in this last area o...

With hallmarks. It is necessary to indicate the survival in this piece of some details from the Spanish Gothic silverware (cresting, which appears around the XV century; the endings ...

LUIS DE MORALES (Spain, 1512-1586). The Virgin with a book, the Sleeping Child and Saint John. Oil on panel. Altarpiece with relics may be related to The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Published: Mateo Gómez, Isabel. Revista de Estudios Extremeños, 2018, Tomo LXXIV, Nº. II, pp. 1115-1128. Table with the Virgin of a little more than half body, sitting on a bench and leaning on a table, reading with the sleeping child on her lap; on the right, a Saint John appears from behind the bench and puts a finger to his mouth asking for silence so as not to disturb Jesus' sleep. The oil is framed by a reliquary altar in ebony wood: flanked by two fluted columns with Corinthian capital and based, located on a base with the relics (read their signs from left to right, they host those of San Silvestre, San Felipe Apóstol, San Felipe Neri, San Antonio Abad, Santa María Magdalena, Santo Sepulcro de Nuestro Señor and Santa Clara) on canvas and framed by ovals with silver rings; the upper end is decorated, in the frieze and top of the tympanum, with silver ovals with colored agates, and topped by pinnacles with bronze balls. Isabel Mateo has analyzed both elements: the table was painted by Luis de Morales, nicknamed "the Divine" (Badajoz, h. 1510-1586), and places it in the last stage of the painter, created for private devotion. In his analysis he highlights the similarities with other works of the painter: "Virgin with the Child and the Holy Juanes" of the parish church of Valencia de Alcántara (Cáceres) dated between 1550-1560; the “Virgins with hats” from the Abelló Collection and the Prado Museum in Madrid; etc. Furthermore, he refers to the flamenco iconographic influences and Rafael's models in Morales' work, among others. As for the reliquary, added later to the completion of the painting, it relates it to El Escorial and Felipe II...

An outstanding French mid-16th century Body of Christ. Expertly carved from natural fruitwood. Stunning patina. The corpus has been attached to a base i...

Bronze mortar with garlands, flowers and putti - Tuscany , second half of 17th century. Measures: height 10 diameter : 13 cm Artisans and healers used mortars for grinding food...

A rare silver reliquary arm with relic bone, with the coat-of-arms of Cosme Roger (1671-1710), bishop of Lombez, France, with original bone relic Poss...

Bronze mortar, Veneto, 16th century Lost-wax cast bronze mortar with body outlined by parallel and succeeding frames delineating its circumference. On the two faces, in a central p...

16th century cast iron mortar with two very beautiful handles Beautiful original object with a great patina and in very good condition.

Ball shaped, separating into two halves, the central detachable band chased with a crown flanked by Hebrew blessing of spices on a zig-zag ground, between applied ropework bands, on ...