"17th Century Reliquary Frame Made From Embossed Silver Leaf "
A large embossed silver plaque depicts a crowned virgin holding the body of the reclining Christ as an offering, the cross in the background, a crescent moon at her feet. Four scenes arranged in a cross, embedded in the large frame, also in silver, represent at the top the risen Christ in majesty, triumphing over the prostrate impious, accompanied by the Virgin and Saint Joseph, on the left the Annunciation, on the right the Presentation to the Magi, and at the bottom the Flight into Egypt. At the corners are four silver discs decorated with centered motifs. The frame containing these eight symbolic elements is made up of horn plates in imitation of tortoiseshell (a technique used on cabinets) and highlighted with blackened wooden borders. Locating the provenance of this spectacular object is not easy. A very similar model (with small accidents and the secondary plates in a different order) was sold at Aguttes with a possible Byzantine-Venetian location.
This one is in excellent condition. Dimensions of the central plate on view: 15 cm x 11 cm.