RELIQUARY PENDANT WITH FLAGELLATION OF CHRIST. SILVER, ENAMEL. 16TH CENTURY.

Reliquary with "Flagellation of Christ". Silver, enamel. Century XVI. Oval locket pendant decorated on the outside with a smooth stripe and raised elements on the edge (with curved profiles and simple engraved scrolls), which has a chain of smooth oval links (all practically the same). On the front and on the back it shows two figurative scenes with striking polychromy. On the one hand, in the center of the composition is Christ tied to a tall column, being whipped by two executioners or soldiers with branches, following a common composition in the 16th century. In the other, the leading role is in a hole in the pendant protected by glass (since it contains a relic, enhanced by a Latin cross), highlighted in the composition with rays of light and a beam of light; This element appears supported by an angel and surrounded by winged heads (common in the Renaissance) floating among clouds, and has been accompanied by Saint Joseph with the Child and the Flowering Rod, and Saint Anthony of Padua (also with the Child and a bouquet of flowers). This type of jewelry was always of great value both for the materials in which they were made and for their religious content. Despite this (or perhaps because of this appreciation) there are not too many examples of quality and in good condition, being possible to find them only in important private collections and in prominent museums such as the Fundación Valencia de Don Juan in Madrid, the Museo National Museum of Decorative Arts in the same city, etc., or ancient religious centers such as the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. Weight: 160 grams

· Size: 8x1x10 cms.