Lot 178
6 Mediaval to Early Modern Religious Badges & Figures
6 Mediaval to Early Modern Religious Badges & Figures
Starting Bid: $175
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European and Russian, ca. 11th to 18th century CE. A diverse and evocative group of six devotional metal objects spanning some seven centuries of Christian material piety across Europe and Russia. The earliest is a lead pilgrim badge of the 11th to 15th century, its surface bearing the crowned head of a king or queen, one of the mass-produced tokens sold at shrines and holy sites that served medieval pilgrims as both proof of completed devotion and portable talismans of protection. A pierced bronze badge depicts a horse and rider in silhouette, likely representing Saint George and the dragon in the flattened, graphic idiom of medieval badge-making. A copper alloy crucifix badge renders the crucified Christ with the expressive economy characteristic of popular medieval metalwork, the corpus clinging to the cross with a directness that bypasses elegance in favor of devotional impact. Size of largest (openwork): 2" L x 2" W (5.1 cm x 5.1 cm)
A copper lentoid badge of vesica form presents a multi-figure religious scene, its oval format the standard shape for episcopal and ecclesiastical seals throughout the medieval period, suggesting this piece may derive from or imitate institutional use. A lead figurine of Saint Anthony of Padua depicts the Franciscan friar in his conventional pose, holding the Christ child on one arm and a lily stalk in the opposite hand, the two identifying attributes that make him among the most instantly legible saints in the Catholic iconographic tradition. Finally, a rectangular leaded brass badge of Russian Orthodox manufacture, datable to the 17th or 18th century, presents a register of saints rendered in the frontal, hieratic style of icon painting translated into cast metal, a form of portable devotional object that served the Orthodox faithful much as pilgrim badges served their Catholic counterparts in the West.
Provenance: private Thousand Oaks, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s
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Item #
193791
- Condition: Damaged. Some are fragmentary with losses and chips. Weathering to surfaces of all commensurate with age. Liberal remaining detail and rich patinas throughout.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |