When my belgian uncle passed earlier this year, the great task of sorting through his very many belongings fell upon me and and a couple of aunts. He and my late aunt had no children. Initially I suspected him of robbing a church in France or something, so many religious items everywhere, later I heard the story of an antiques dealer stranding in front of my uncle's (who happened to be an car mechanic amongst other things) house. His truck full of items from a probably abandoned french church, the antiques guy paid him in antiques for his help. This apparently happened over thirty years ago. I decided to bring this small chest home, it looks and feels old and very catholic...it could have been used as a tabernacle in a minor provincial church I think. The back is quite crude though the front is really elaborate. Do not mind the woodworm holes, I think they are dead. What kind of wood could have been used, it's kind of pale.
You mean a reliquary? Altar? Are you asking about the whole thing - the piece on top and the stand? They look like 2 separate items to me. Did the hand come with it? Is it wax? I think there are people who would stand in line to buy that top bit.
that does not belong to it no, but looks good on it... I think it used to have a clock in it, bought it this way as a display thingie, the hand is an old mannequin hand...Shouldn't have used that picture I guess, But my place is so cluttered with stuff there is always something else getting inside my pictures... No, this topic is about the lower part, also not about the table it is standing on...
Following MOS, I MUST ask. What the heck is in that box? Or is it possibly be a reflection?????????????????????? Definition of tabernacle 1 : a house of worship; specifically : a large building or tent used for evangelistic service. 2 : a receptacle for the consecrated elements of the Eucharist; especially : an ornamental locked box used for reserving the Communion host. Definition of reliquary : a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept
It looks like a tabernacle to me.....but then again, I haven't been in a Roman Catholic church for decades, so..................
maybe not decades here but, yes, it has been awhile. I am an atheist, but I can start my own church now with all the stuff from uncle Bill.
Hi, It was were the sacrament was kept, the same in the high Anglican church of America. We used to say after Pope John 23rd "more Catholic than Rome". We still have the altar against the wall with the priest with his back to the congregation. more than half of the service is still in Elizabethan English, the rest in Latin. greg
By the way - the wheat and the grapes (bread & wine) at the base of the cross are kind of a giveaway.................. Greg - I went low church years ago - I don't mind the service within the tradition, but when the beliefs and conformity aren't updated to adjust to modern life I have to give it the go by...............Like Queen Victoria, I'm leery of the High Church when it closes it's mind with the cathedral doors...........
Hi Mansons, It is the service that is High, the laity and thoughts are very modern. Unfortunately the church had a woman become bishop which was a shame since she was not a priest. It caused a great deal of schism in the church. greg
I am the product of people that freed themselves from the clutches of the roman catholic church in the sixties, like a lot of people did during that time in the Netherlands. That is why I know very little of its rituals and artefacts.
I would LOVE to say, Well, you ain't missin' much, but I have already said too much. I apologize for being divisive and not very respectful of others. I should heed my upbringing and avoid talking Politics and Religion...........but sex is still on the table....or the floor...........or where ever..............
The tabernacles I've seen here in the Netherlands and in other W. European countries, were made of, or clad with, precious metals. I think this is a cabinet to keep hosts and wine safe (from choir boys, etc.) before they are put in the tabernacle. The mannequin hand reliquary looks fun on top of it.
This one certainly is not from northwestern europe but rather southern france or even Italy, I think... a more elaborate but wooden one from Toulouse: http://www.primardeco.com/encheres-antiquites-generales/lot-39370.html It might seem mine has some age to it as well...late 18th, early 19th century...? Maybe wood was more common in those days.
Could be rural France, but doesn't look too far south I think. The ones I've seen in southern France and Italy were also precious metal (clad), and mostly very ott. This one could also be from a country church in Switzerland, judging from the colour and the more sedate carving. Austria would be more Baroque, as would southern Germany. We visited just about every church in France, Spain, and parts of most other European countries when I was a child, a habit I continued for as long as I could still travel. While a theology student I often managed to get a look behind the scenes, and saw wooden cabinets for hosts and wine, sometimes very plain, sometimes very decorated.
Nice, those could even be Dutch. If there is no lock, they could be for hosts, or small regalia. Hosts would usually be baked by nuns and a supply delivered in boxes or baskets, so there has to be room for that. Wine was/is behind lock and key, for obvious reasons. Do you play that guitar?
might be for the wine then, the locks are on the side. We might have had a similar upbringing, despite of my dad's aversion to religion we went into every little or big church in southern europe especially italy and france, for cultural /art/ historical purposes only, at least if they accepted him wearing shorts and sandals... maybe that is why I love this stuff so much, not a fan of religion but the buildings and artefacts inspired by it I adore... I suck at guitar but I keep trying...
I know, culture, culture, culture. Not that we minded as kids, we loved it, museums, galleries, and studio visits as well. About the shorts, I am slightly older than you, my father wore long trousers to any church, or even just visiting a town. And even on my last travels, I always made sure I had a thin lace blouse (a kebaya) to cover my bare arms when visiting a southern or eastern European church on hot days.
