186
Italian solid silver ex-voto, Pontifical State, 19th century
Height x width: 19 x 20 cm. Weight: 130 g.
A form of popular art, handcrafted artifacts that represent testimonies of devotion and religiosity, often linked to miraculous events or requests for miracles, frequently positioned between history and legend, like relics. The themes depicted are usually Madonnas, Saints, or categories of vows such as healings, accidents, and natural disasters, with patrons spanning various social classes.
The item in question represents a scene in a room with a sick person lying in bed, in need of the miracle of healing. At the bedside, there is a kneeling female figure, likely the petitioner, praying to the image of the Virgin with Child, who appears above in the clouds (an element that emphasizes the moment of spirituality).
The item in question represents a scene in a room with a sick person lying in bed, in need of the miracle of healing. At the bedside, there is a kneeling female figure, likely the petitioner, praying to the image of the Virgin with Child, who appears above in the clouds (an element that emphasizes the moment of spirituality).
The space on the votive tablet, as in this case, is usually divided into two distinct parts: one dedicated to the deity, with a votive inscription or written out in full, or a representation, and the depiction of the miraculous event (in the case of a healing) or the miracle (in the case of a disaster). Therefore, on the left, we find the letters "P.G.R.," votive initials for "PER GRAZIA RICEVUTA" ("For a grace received"). Ex-votos are objects that reflect the ritual commitment of the petitioner, that is, the person who makes the vow, who may coincide with the one who received the miracle, the one who suffered harm, and the deity who intercedes.
Hallmarked with the chamber marks in use in Rome after 1815 for silver at 10 ounces and 16 denari (889/1000)
Live auction 327
Curiosities from European and Oriental Art
Curiosities from European and Oriental Art
Silvers, Ivories, Corals, Icons and Wunderkammer
Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli, tue 25 February 2025
FIRST SESSION
25/02/2025 Hours 12:00 pm
Lots 1/167
SECOND SESSION
25/02/2025 Hours 04:00 pm
Lots 168/346