pax with the Pietà, unknown maker from Spain

Exhibition Label:
"Giorgio Vasari and Court Culture in Late Renaissance Italy," Sep-2012, Sally Cornelison and Susan Earle
Small tablets called paxes-after pax, the Latin word for peace-were used during mass. Following the consecration of the Host, the celebrant initiated the Kiss of Peace by kissing a pax and then passing it to the members of the clergy assisting him, who in turn shared the object with the congregation. These liturgical objects typically were decorated with Passion scenes, thus reinforcing the ritual meaning of the masses during which they were used. The jewel-like enamel, brass architectural framing, and bright gilding of the pax from France depicting the Crucifixion with the Virgin and St. John evoked a devotional and contemplative response to Christ’s death and sacrifice on the part of the viewer. The same is true of the rare Spanish pax displayed next to the colorful French example. Carved from jet, a hard, glossy black stone, it depicts the Pietà, in which the central figure of the Virgin Mary cradles her dead son on her lap. To the left and right are the figures of St. John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene.