A Large Heart Shaped Rock Crystal Silver Mounted Reliquary

Period: 1600-1700

Medium: silver, Oil, Rock crystal, Silver gilt

Dimension: 9 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm (3¹/₂ x 3⁰/₁ x 0⁵/₈ inches)

Literature: Housed behind a large ‘chunk’ of Rock Crystal, the Madonna is shown praying with her hands firmly clasped, a rosary bead necklace falling down her chest and a ‘starry’ silver ‘halo’ framing her whistful face with a downward gaze. To the reverse of the silver mount we find engraved the initials ‘I H S’ above a ‘Bleeding Heart’ with three arrows.  
     Most certainly from a private devotional chapel, or a traveling ‘amulet’ to be hung wherever the devout owner came to rest.