medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
John,
These are tough questions, but it seems probable that wax ex votos were mass-produced
from moulds at pilgrimage sites, and more precious ones would be made by local goldsmiths
for the upper end of the market, either "on spec" or individually commissioned. Some wax ex
votos have survived, notably some in Exeter and some from Hergiswald, now in Berne, on
which see U.M.
Radford, “The Wax Images Found in Exeter Cathedral,” Antiquaries Journal, XXIX
(1949), 164-68, pl. XIX-XXI, and Iconoclasme: Vie et mort de l'image medievale, exh. cat. (Berne
and Strasbourg, 2001), p. 249. More ambitious wax ex votos were life-sized kneeling figures of the
donor: until they were cleared out in the early modern period, the Church of the SS Annunziata in
Florence was choc-a-bloc with such images of Florentine notables; one recent study of this is Roberta
Panzanelli, Ephemeral Bodies: Wax Sculpture and one the Human Figure (Los Angeles, 2008). One
of the best general studies of ex votos is still Lenz Kriss-Rettenbeck, Ex voto. Zeichen, Bild und
Abbild im christlichen Votivbrauchtum (Zurich and Freiburg i.B., 1972). Another common type of ex
voto was an embossed silver plaque showing a body part, baby, animal, etc. This type of ex voto has a
long history that extends in Greece far earlier than Christianity and is still in use there; this type of ex
voto was also common in western Europe during the early modern period and later. And from about
the late 15th century, ex voto paintings began to appear, in which the "miraculous intervention" was
actually depicted -- this sort of ex voto is still firmly entrenched in Latin America and elsewhere. I
have yet to learn exactly when the neat marble ex voto plaques so evident in many French churches
began to be used, but they do not appear to have been common before the 19th century.
Cheers,
Jim
On 6 Aug 2009 at 23:14, John Shinners wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> Visiting the shrine of the 20th-C Orthodox St. Nektariou in Greece
> last summer, I was taken by its medieval flavor, especially since the
> portrait of him in his chapel was festooned with ex votos of all sorts
> of anatomical bits (esp. eyes and legs). This got me wondering just
> where one purchases an ex voto. I was going to pose this question to
> the group but first turned to Google a moment ago where my first hit
> took me to "milagromercado.com" featuring a nice selection of ex
> votos:
>
> http://www.suenosimports.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=24
>
> But does anyone have any ideas about whether there was any mass
> manufacturing of ex votos in the Middle Ages (insofar as anything was
> mass manufactured back then)? Where would one get an ex voto--ask a
> local artisan to craft one? I've seen mention of them made of wax, as
> we've mentioned, of precious and base metals (i.e, lead), of wood. Do
> they survive in any number? Would they be produced in mass quantities
> like pilgrim badges?
>
> Best,
> John
>
> ------------------------------------------
> John Shinners
> Professor of Humanistic Studies
> Saint Mary's College
> Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
> Phone: 574-284-4494 or 574-284-4534
> Fax: 284-4855
> www.saintmarys.edu/~hust
>
> "Learn everything. Afterwards you will see that nothing is
> superfluous." -- Hugh of St. Victor (d. 1141)
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> Sent: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 22:26:10 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: Re: [M-R] 1157 inventory from Cefalu, Sicily
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> Paul, No one would dream of accusing you of killing joy... Whenever
> votive offerings come up as a thread subject, I remind the list of
> Saint Roch Cemetery in New Orleans. No exciting body parts, just dust,
> roaches and the occasional ghost, called an "orb" in Voodoo-speak:
> http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/2009/05/st-roch-cemetery-and-chapel-
> new-orelans.html
>
> Marjorie Greene
> http://medrelart.shutterfly.com/
>
> wrote:
>
>
> Subject: Re: [M-R] 1157 inventory from Cefalu, Sicily
> Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009, 8:59 PM
>
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture In the "Medical Imagery in Ex-Votos" gallery
> <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/exvotos/gallery.html> I especially
> like the one of a girl in a brightly painted jeep, with her hair
> steaming in the wind and her dog beside her, with the following text:
>
>
> My sentimental life was a chaos. I was very sad and depressed, then my
> uncle gave me his old jeep and I give thanks to the Virgin of
> Guadalupe that he did that because now with the sun in my face and the
> wind in my hair, my depression disappeared and the speed makes me feel
> free and happy.
>
> -- Paul Chandler
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