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Votive plaque, earthenware, tin glazed, from Deruta, Italian, 1668
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 woman cured from mental illness, attributed to demonic possession. The letters P.G.R. stand for Per Grazia Ricevuta (By Grace Received).
Details
- Category:
- Medical Ceramic-ware
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A85193
- Materials:
- earthenware (tin glazed)
- Measurements:
-
overall: 388 mm x 530 mm x 29 mm,
- type:
- votive offerings
