Gallery

A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.

Silver Christian Orthodox Silver Votive Offering Plate

Posted by Peter Hoesli on June 18, 2016 at 1:24pm
This hand is very old and of thick silver!Votive Offering Plates are among the most interesting works of Christian Orthodox Ritual Art. Made by goldsmith on order, those silver plates come in different shapes and represent the sick organ of the human body, e.g. a leg, arm or eye, or a full human figure; a domestic animal, e.g. a horse, sheep, or a composition of yoked oxen. They were given to the church or hung before a particular icon with a wish for the curing of the disease and for the wel-fare of the children, grown-ups and the whole farm. Votive plates were be-lieved to answer prayers for the gift maker's health. The images depicted on them are far from the Christian symbols but they unambi-guously demonstrate the inter-twining of Christian and pagan notions and beliefs in the folk worldview.
Read more…
Previous
Next
E-mail me when people leave their comments –
Follow

You need to be a member of Adorned Histories to add comments!

Join Adorned Histories

Request your copy of our newsletter.

If you would like to receive our newsletter

Click here