Beautiful antique relic I purchased in Italy circa mid 1800's. This is a relic of St. Agnes. A beautiful young girl from a wealthy family, Agnes had many suitors of high rank, and the young men, slighted by her resolute devotion to religious purity, submitted her name to the pagan authorities as a follower of Christianity. One suitor, Procop, brought Agnes to his father, the governor, who urged Agnes to deny God, but she refused. Sadly as history notes she suffered martyrdom at the age of 12 or 13.
This is a gorgeous handmade piece using a chromo of St. Agnes and delicate and intricate cutwork of two birds. There is what looks like papier dominote paper accenting the piece which doesn't surpise me at all since the Italians are famous for it. There is also some gold foil trim as well.
The frame is beyond stunning! It has gold metal stamping pieces around the inside and it is simply splendid by itself. There is a single hook hanger on the top and the back is covered in paper. This relic measures 7.25" x 7.25" and is .75" deep.
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