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A group of italian solid silver ex-voto, Naples (?), 19th century

Height x width of display case: 41 x 59 cm.
a form of popular art, represent testimonies of devotion and religiosity often linked to miraculous events or requests for miracles. The themes represented are categories of vows such as healings, accidents and natural disasters and their patrons range across social classes. The batch in question consists of 6 ex-votos depicting the category of anatomical votive tablets: an arm, a leg, two heads, a finger and a torso.
The space of the tablet, as also in this case, is usually divided into two distinct parts: a dedication to the deity, with a votive inscription or written in full or a representation, and the depiction of the miraculous part (in the case of a healing) or the miracle (in the case of a calamity). Thus, we find around the representations the letters V.F. - G.A., votive initials for ‘Voto Fatto - Grazia Avuta’. 

Among the types of object-based ex-votos, there are numerous cases that pay particular attention to anatomical form, reproducing the parts of the body that were healed, made from various materials such as metal, silver, or tin. These ex-votos may represent limbs, eyes, crutches, and walking sticks, often accompanied by inscriptions that personalize them further. Votive tablets are effective artistic representations that capture the drama experienced by the devotees, carefully describing the details to make both the recipient of the grace and the extraordinary event they experienced recognizable. They reflect not only the suffering and despair of the moment but also the invocation for help and the gratitude for the grace received. These images document various types of suffering and accidents.
23/01/2025 16:52:26
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Curiosities from European and Oriental art
Silvers, Ivories, Corals, Icons, and Wunderkammer

Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli, tue 25 February 2025
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