Agnus Dei

Image 1

Name: Case for Agnus Dei
Author: anonymous
Date: ca. 1676-1689
Medium: Gilt silver, engraved and chased
Location: V&A Museum
Copyright: Public Domain
Permalink: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107617/case-for-agnus-unknown/
Description: An agnus dei (Latin for 'lamb of God') is a cake of wax made from Easter candles and stamped with an impression of the lamb. They are blessed by the Pope and kept as devotional objects, often in cases such as this.
The coats of arms engraved on either hinged side of this case are of two popes associated with the Counter Reformation, an intense period of reform for the Roman Catholic Church from the mid 16th century. On one side of the case are the arms of Pope Pius V (in office 1566-72) who enforced many of the reforms proposed by the Council of Trent, a series of theological debates held between 1545 and 1563. The debates addressed, among many subjects, abuses of wealth by the Church, religious education and relief of the poor. The second arms are those of Pope Innocent XI (in office 1676-89), who was equally committed to promoting piety and education. (V&A)