

Votive plaque, earthenware, tin glazed, from Deruta, Italian, 1657
These painted plaques are known as ‘ex votos’, meaning ‘from a vow’ in Latin. Left in a church in gratitude for answered prayers, each one tells
a story of a cure or delivery from disaster through the intervention of the Virgin Mary or another Christian saint.
Ex votos can take various forms. This colourful glazed pottery example, known as majolica, is from Deruta in Italy, a town renowned for its
ceramics since the 1400s. It depicts a man praying for a sick individual in bed.
Details
- Category:
- Medical Ceramic-ware
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A85192
- Materials:
- earthenware (tin glazed)
- Measurements:
-
overall: 385 mm x 517 mm x 31 mm,
- type:
- votive offerings