Devotional Plaque On Double-sided Copper (18th Century)

Double-sided copper devotional plaque (18th century). This double-sided oil painting on copper depicts a sacred hospital scene on the front. In the foreground, patients lie in beds (hospice setting). On the right, a religious figure in a black robe is praying, assisted by angels at his side. The upper register opens onto a divine cloud where Christ holding his cross and the Dove of the Holy Spirit are visible in radiant glory. On the back, the Mater Dolorosa (Mother of Sorrows) is shown. The sword alludes to Simeon's prophecy, "And a sword will pierce your own soul too." This is a private devotional object dating from the 18th century, probably from the Spanish or colonial school (Cuzco). There are some areas of paint lifting and losses (natural oxidation of the copper), and a hole in the plaque at the top. Visible at the Galerie Courcelles Antiquités, at 97 rue de Courcelles, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.