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BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseColoured beads from a rosary and lead crucifix attached to a
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Left hand side: A95431
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Coloured beads from a rosary and lead crucifix attached to a twig, from St. Kieran's Well, a sacred well with supposed healing properties, Clareen, Offaly, Irish, 1900-1930
Found at St Kieran’s Well in Clareen, Offaly, Ireland, this rag wrapped around a twig was left in the hope of receiving a cure for an illness – the well was believed to have healing properties. Prayers would have been made before the rosary was left at the well – usually tied with others to the branches of a nearby tree, which became known as a fairy tree. It is shown here with a rag and a twig (A95427), other items found at the well.
Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A95431
- Materials:
- glass, brass (copper, zinc alloy), lead and cotton (textile)
- Measurements:
-
overall: 20 mm x 200 mm x 75 mm, .03kg
- type:
- votive offering and crucifix
