Best of the blogs
The Hockley Pendant: from an Essex field to the British Museum
A chance discovery in an Essex field by a four year-old boy has led to an addition to the British Museum’s medieval collection.
The beautiful Hockley Pendant is a diamond-shaped reliquary dating from the 16th century, and would have been worn by a wealthy individual as a statement of piety.
The decoration reveals the dual nature of religious jewellery, as a decoration and a holy amulet. The pendant is an excellent example of the intertwining of the secular and the religious in the middle ages. The front shows a sombre Saint Helena supporting the cross, while the back shows the Five Wounds of Christ.
This object allows us to better understand the enduring physical relationship between the living and the dead and the depth and vibrancy of the material culture from this period in history.
An extract from the British Museum’s blog by curators Naomi Speakman and Lloyd de Beer
The beautiful Hockley Pendant is a diamond-shaped reliquary dating from the 16th century, and would have been worn by a wealthy individual as a statement of piety.
The decoration reveals the dual nature of religious jewellery, as a decoration and a holy amulet. The pendant is an excellent example of the intertwining of the secular and the religious in the middle ages. The front shows a sombre Saint Helena supporting the cross, while the back shows the Five Wounds of Christ.
This object allows us to better understand the enduring physical relationship between the living and the dead and the depth and vibrancy of the material culture from this period in history.
An extract from the British Museum’s blog by curators Naomi Speakman and Lloyd de Beer