Devotional Badge with Saint James Flanked by Two Kneeling Pilgrims
Unknown Artist
c. 1200–1250
Medium
molded green glass
Dimensions
2.9 × 2.6 cm
Classification
Glass
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Lawrence Hitchcock Fund
Accession Number
1985.146
About this artwork
In addition to vessels, the glass kilns of Venice produced some devotional badges such as this one. These small objects may have been collected by pilgrims as mementos. This example probably recalls a journey to Santiago da Compostella in distant Spain, one of the greatest medieval pilgrimage destinations. Thought to imitate more valuable carved gems, these glass-plate medallions were made in large quantity by pressing a mold over opaque or transparent molten glass.