Western Europe, Medieval Period, ca. 11th to 14th century CE. A fabulous pewter flat openwork badge with a circular shape that frames a Christian scene of devotion. The interior of the circle shows a seated Virgin Mary with an infant Jesus on her lap, and two figures to the sides holding a reliquary and a sword. Above their heads is a Gothic church with arches and towers. Three figures - two angels flanking a seated Christ in Majesty within a mandorla - are outside the circular frame at the top. Along the periphery of the main circular frame are four loops for attaching this badge to a cloak. Size: 3.375" L x 2.31" W (8.6 cm x 5.9 cm)
People of the Middle Ages went on pilgrimages to the tomb of a saint, or a site where relics of a saint(s) were venerated. The pilgrim might pray at a shrine in order to thank the saint for miraculous healing or a cure. However, for some the journey itself was a means of purification. In addition to voluntary pilgrimages, some pilgrimages were a form of punishment imposed by the courts or the Church. A person might have been ordered to make a pilgrimage to Rome for example, remain there for several years, and bring back some evidence like a pilgrim badge. Besides wearing a voluminous cloak (the pelerine) and a large hat with a wide brim, carrying a wooden pilgrim’s staff, a scrip (a pilgrim's flask) and a rosary, the most important signs of a pilgrim were the pewter pilgrims' badges he pinned to his hat, scrip, or cloak. At every pilgrimage site, a pilgrim could acquire a pilgrims' badge sold as a consecrated souvenir of the sacred place, just as they can do this today.
Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA acquired before 2000
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#159825
Condition
Loss to one periphery loop. Softening of some details. Mineral deposits. Otherwise intact and excellent.