Reliquary Pendant
1500-1600
Medium
Decorative Arts-Jewelry
Classification
Decorative Arts-Jewelry
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Accession Number
1929.8.206
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection decorative arts, this *Reliquary Pendant* from 1500–1600 exemplifies the exquisite jewelry of the Renaissance era. Craft by an unidentified artist, it served a deeply spiritual purpose: a small, wearable container designed to house holy relics—fragments of saints' bones, cloth, or other sacred objects. Worn as a necklace pendant, it blended personal devotion with elegant adornment, allowing the faithful to carry divine protection close to the heart. During the 16th century, the Catholic Reformation and Renaissance humanism, such pend...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –