[Untitled]

Monstrance of Thadea Petrucci

An inscription around the stem of this fourteenth-century reliquary from Florence celebrates "Mistress Thadea Petrucci," who had the receptacle made "for the salvation of her dead." Thadea's gift, made during a period dominated by the experience of the Black Death (1347-1351) poignantly demonstrates the redemptive value attributed to such offerings. Contributing to the beauty of the Lord's temple was a way to gain God's benevolence at the time judgment. Here, the act of giving is sanctioned by the patron.

Artist: Unknown
Patron: Thadea Petrucci

Florence, Italy

ca. 1340-1350

Gilded copper, enamel, rock crystal

Height: 25 in.
Diam.: 9 3/8 in.

Walters Art Museum

53.51