Posted 10 years ago
cmcclelland
(1 item)
I found this necklace as a child when I was exploring the woods. I have no idea if it really is as old as the date states, or if the necklace is marking an important historical date. The date on the front says 1830, inscription says, "O'Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee." The back side is marked Italy. Does any one know what this is? My guess is that the metal is silver as it has never turned a different color since I've had it. It has a heavy feeling when I hold it for its size. It look to be about two 2"x1 1/2". Thank you for looking.
It looks like a version of a Miraculous Medal ....
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculous_Medal
..... with some add-ons.
@vetraio50, you found it! Thank you. So now I know it is not as old as 1830, that is the date of the event. Is it possible to find out how old this is? I'm also interested in the add-ons. This may help with finding out age and who made these.
Miraculous Medal, Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, St. Christopher, looks like to me, on the front. Miraculous medals are pretty common, could be silver or silver plated, and mostly come out of Italy. They are based on the 1830 vision of the Immaculate Conception, the medal design was produced in 1836, as I recall, and were believed to have healing powers, hence their popularity. There are many variations, including the one you own. That's as much as I know about these medals, others may know more or correct my information.
Forgot to add, they are known as scapulars in this configuration, if I am not mistaken.
@katherinescollections, thank you for your info. This gives me more to research.
If you're trying to determine value, most of the religious medals/crosses I have (regardless of age or metal) aren't worth much (only the cost of the scrap metal). I found that surprising/disappointing, but that really does put the value is in the decoration and/or the sentiment. (I do have a few crosses that are an exception to this, but so far all the saint medals have fallen in this category.)
Regarding the medal, (I feel like I'm giving a lot of bad news, but) if it hasn't turned color and if it doesn't polish up, it might be pewter or less valuable silver-toned metal. The reason I say this is that silver that has not been treated does tarnish (should turn color). And, I have seen many non-silver versions of these. Something (the patina/wear patterns/etc) about this just strikes me as having been made to look older/more primitive than it is.
In terms of the artwork, I think you'll have more success finding a painted wall cross with this style (and then use that knowledge to find a similar pendant). I've seen it before in Catholic gift shops, but it is not a style that I favor so I don't know much about it. I do know it was a style commonly produced by certain countries at certain times (ex. late 20th century Latin America, etc), but since Italy had a world of influences to choose from when they created this design, I'm not sure if that helps.
Just to add a little more info... this type of cross is commonly known as a "four way cross" or a "four way medal". If you Google these terms, you can learn more about the figures that appear on the four corners of the cross.
The back shows the reverse side of the Miraculous Medal (the obverse of the Miraculous Medal is the image of Mary). The small figure at the top I'm not sure about - it could be Mary with the infant Jesus, or St. Anne with the infant Mary.