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.

Christian Orthodox Silver Votive Offering Plates.

Posted by Peter Hoesli on June 18, 2016 at 1:19pm
These parts are very old!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 welfare of the children, grown-ups and the whole farm. Votive plates were believed to answer prayers for the giftmaker's health. The images depicted on them are far from the Christian symbols but they unambiguously demonstrate the intertwining of Christian and pagan notions and beliefs in the folk worldview.
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