Rare Castilian Silver Peace Sign – Saint Domingo De La Calzada – Circa 1525-1540.

Rare Castilian Silver Peace Sign – Saint Domingo de la Calzada – circa 1525-1540.

Exceptional Spanish peace sign in cast, engraved, and chased silver, attributed to workshops in Castile during the first third of the 16th century. This type of liturgical object was used during the celebration of Mass to symbolically convey the gesture of peace between the faithful.

Description

The plaque takes the form of a semicircular doorway resting on a base adorned with a Latin cross in relief.
The central niche features a delicate Nativity scene in low relief, framed by ringed columns resting on episcopal coats of arms.
The upper part bears the inscription BENEDITVS.FR, flanked by two birds. In the tympanum, a bearded bust, seen from the front and holding a staff, is accompanied by the legends STO and DOMI.
This iconography corresponds to Saint Domingo de la Calzada, recognizable by his traditional attributes—the rooster and the hen—linked to his famous miracle on the Way of St. James.
The coat of arms on the sides is attributed to Don Alonso de Castilla y Zúñiga, bishop of the diocese from 1523 to 1541, a direct descendant of King Peter I of Castile.

This context allows us to precisely date the production of this model to around 1525–1540.

Comparable pieces are now held in several Spanish institutions, notably the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas in Madrid and the Museo Marès in Barcelona.

Dimensions: height 15.5 cm; Width 10.5 cm x Weight: 508 g

Very well preserved, with a beautiful presence and a patina consistent with its age. A rare, historically significant piece illustrating the richness of Spanish Renaissance liturgical metalwork, sought after for both its sculptural quality and its iconographic interest.

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