medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Many thanks to Chris and Christopher for working on the inscriptions!
It would not be in the least unusual to have the same form used for a
reliquary and a secular object. Aside from inherently ambiguous forms
like the basic box, any form developed for one use could easily be
adapted for another. Just think of reliquary buckles, or late medieval
secular drinking vessels shaped like early medieval liturgical chalices,
themselves derived from earlier forms of secular vessels.
The question of chronology is of course complicated. The Louvre example
is dated by them 14th c., like the earlier of the two V&A objects. Both
of the relatively early objects have the same 4 lobes, with inscriptions
in similar scripts around the curving edge of each flat side of a lobe,
and the space within the curve of that inscription filled with small
foliate motifs. The example that the V&A dates later has six segments,
no inscriptions, and the flat side of each lobe ornamented with a
coherent flowering vine. While I have not made a special study of
pomanders and apple reliquaries, I have no trouble believing that the
14th-c form could have developed into this new configuration by the
early 17th c.
Best,
Genevra
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