Reliquary Pendant with Relic of Santa Chiara
maker
Unknown
Date19th century
Place MadeItaly, Europe
MediumGlass and silver with fragments of yellow satin
Dimensions2.5 x 1.6 cm (1 x 5/8 in.)
ClassificationsJewelry
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberS27w556
eMuseum ID724494
Previous Number245
EmbARK ObjectID12629
TMS Source ID1698
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentarySanta Chiara, or Saint Clare, was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi and the first woman towrite a set of monastic guidelines. In the 12th century, she composed the rules for an order of women to live by the precepts of their faith. This reliquary pendant was given to Isabella Stewart Gardner by Margaret Cushing Osgood, author of an anthology of the world's spiritual literature. A devout Anglo-Catholic, Isabella had a profound interest in and respect for different religious practices exemplified by her collecting and display of art from different cultures.
ProvenanceNotesGift from the writer and poet Margaret Cushing Pearmain Osgood (Mrs. Hamilton Osgood, 1847-1941) to Isabella Stewart Gardner at an unknown date.
