Antique Elkington Silver-plated Gothic Revival Pax, Madonna And Child Ca 1900

Antique Elkington Silver-Plated Gothic Revival Pax, Madonna and Child

An elaborate antique Gothic Revival pax, marked Elkington to the reverse. Its architectural form is filled with openwork pinnacles, columns and sculptural detail, centred on a high-relief depiction of the Madonna and Child beneath a radiating canopy. Two standing figures flank the central panel, while winged angels support a blank shield at the base.

The reverse has a metal backplate secured with screws, a carrying handle and a vertical support. Two further marks, one diamond-shaped and one oval-shaped, are present. The underside reveals cast construction secured with two hexagonal nuts and a screw.

The design closely resembles a Portuguese-style pax in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, although this example has a different finial and smaller dimensions. The Met dates its example to the early 20th century, after a late 15th-century original; that dating has not been independently established for this Elkington-marked piece.

Dimensions: 38 cm high × 29 cm wide × 8 cm deep

Weight: Approximately 5.4 kg

Material: Silver-plated metal

Maker’s mark: Elkington, to the reverse