Pendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and Child

British

On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 10

The Tau cross was associated with Saint Anthony and with protection from "Saint Anthony’s fire," or ergotism, caused by consumption of spoiled rye. This beautifully engraved capsule, with an interior cavity for an allopathic herbal compound, may have belonged to a member of a confraternity of Antonines, established in England in the mid-fifteenth century and dedicated to the care of those suffering from Saint Anthony’s fire. Under the angle of each arm is a rivet stem that originally held a pearl. At the bottom edge of the cross is a hole for suspending a tiny bell.

Pendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and Child, Cast and engraved gold, British

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Pendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and Child, Cast and engraved gold, British
Pendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and Child, Cast and engraved gold, British

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