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Reliquary Arms

OneWingedBird

OneWingedBird

Beloved of Ra
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Curious if anyone knows what this item is, I came across the photo while I was tidying up, taken at The Museum of Medieval Art in NYC at the end of 2001. Apologies it's a bit blurry only there was no flash photography allowed in the building so the autoexposure ran for longer than is healthy for a handheld shot.

I don't remember that the info in the museum really said anything about it, obviously some sort of religious item, beyond that it just looks like a very big arm that's almost making a modern peace/victory/f*ck off gesture.

Not much else I can say about it that you can't see from the photograph.

The photo to which this post alludes is MIA. See later post for the museum's stock photo and description of this artifact.
 
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Does it vibrate?

Sorry... already wearing it...
 
is it perhapse a reliquary?... perhapse with some saints hand bones in it?
 
Hmmm interesting. That hand gesture is seen on various tarot cards. The Hierophant has his hand in exactly this fashion in the Rider Waite pack.
 
Found it! - Sidecar Jon was right.

[Edit]
I think the gesture is one of blessing.

The embedded link is dead. See later post for the MIA webpage content, salvaged from the Wayback Machine.
 
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Sally said:
I think the gesture is one of blessing.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have seen similar in art described as 'the gesture of blessing'. Does anyone know the history of this gesture? Does it have a deeper meaning?

Hand gestures are often significant in religion (Buddhism springs to mind).
 
Keyser Soze said:
Yes, I have seen similar in art described as 'the gesture of blessing'. Does anyone know the history of this gesture? Does it have a deeper meaning?

Hand gestures are often significant in religion (Buddhism springs to mind).
Click to expand...

humm Ft quite atime ago had an articul about Leonardos last Supper..pointing out the one fingerd (fore finger) blessed gesture.. (as well as a anomolos hand holding a knife).. i think it was a gesture to heaven.
 
The position of the fingers is a standard Christian gesture of benediction, as a few people have said, don't know the history behind the specific two fingers thing, though, unfortunatly.
It certainly looks like a reliquery, possibly for an arm, or arm bone. There are similar reliqueries in the V and A in London.
 
. At a somewhat later date, throughout the greater part of the East, three fingers, or rather the thumb and two fingers were displayed, while the ring and little finger were folded back upon the palm. These two were held to symbolize the two natures or wills in Christ, while the extended three denoted the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. At the same time these fingers were so held as to indicate the common abbreviation I X C (Iesous Christos Soter), the forefinger representing the I, the middle finger crossed with the thumb standing for the X and the bent middle finger serving to suggest the C. In Armenia, however, the sign of the cross made with two fingers is still retained to the present day. Much of this symbolism passed to the West, though at a later date.
Click to expand...

from here
 
There is a similar requilary on display in the National History Museum of Ireland. It is known as the "Shrine of St Lachtin's
Arm".
 
If you look at the reflection of the hand in the glass back of the display case you can see the devil! :eek:

:rofl:
 
Ah well done, it really should have ocurred to me to look up the Met museum's website.

Not too sure about the simulacra Niles, it's kind of there but I don't think it'll make FT anytime soon:)

I was tempted to pre-emp the Naked Gun humour but I figured I might spoil someone elses fun, not to mention give choirboys the world over nightmares for weeks afterwards :devil:
 
A reliquary which according to legend once held the saint's forearm and hand survives, but it contains no relic(s).

stpatsrelic.jpg

THE ARM SHRINE OF ST. PATRICK: The traditional belief regarding this shrine is that it dates back to the discovery of the relics of Sts. Patrick, Brigid and Colmcille in the Benedictine Cathedral of Downpatrick in 1186. The story is familiar to everyone how some doubt having existed as to the exact whereabouts of the burial-place of these three saints and how in answer to prayer, the precise spot in the cathedral was revealed to Malachy III, Bishop of Down. In conjunction with John de Courcy, the bishop made application to Rome to have the bodies removed to some more fitting place in the cathedral, and such permission having been granted, a special legate, Cardinal Vivian, was sent over to Down to superintend the removal of the relics. The ceremony was carried out with great pomp, some of the relics were enshrined and placed on the high altar and some brought back to Rome. One of the enshrined relics was a bone from the arm of the national apostle. When Edward Bruce invaded Ireland he plundered the Cathedral of Down and the shrine was carried off in 1316. ...
Click to expand...
https://saintpatricksbelfast.org.uk/our-parish/relic-of-st-patrick/
 
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Here are the Metropolitan Museum's stock photo and description of the artifact as of 2004.

hb_47.101.33.jpg

Reliquary Arm, ca. 1230
Mosan
Silver over oak; hand: bronze-gilt; appliqué plaques: silver-gilt, niello and cabochon stones; 25 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 4 in. (64.8 x 16.5 x 10.2 cm)
The Cloisters Collection, 1947 (47.101.33)

Precious containers for relics—the bones of a holy person, or objects touched by that person—are among the most inventive and accomplished works of art in the Middle Ages. In this reliquary, a silver and gilded arm is bordered both by decorative filigree plaques set with gems and antique cameos, and figurative scenes crafted in niello on silver. These plaques include images of saints Peter and Paul, perhaps the patrons of the church from which this reliquary originally came. As a reliquary was thought to retain the power and holiness of the saintly person, clergy used arm reliquaries to bless people or heal the sick.

SALVAGED FROM THE WAYBACK MACHINE:
https://web.archive.org/web/2004032...tmuseum.org/toah/ho/07/euwl/hob_47.101.33.htm
 
Research (i.e. "I just spent two minutes on Google") suggests that the original Christian benediction used the whole, open hand, in order to distinguish it from the clenched fist of violence.

An interesting theory is that St. Peter had damage to his ulnar nerve, which prevented his from opening his palm fully, and left his little- and ring fingers permanently curled in towards his palm. To honour his memory, succeeding popes, etc. copied his version.

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Benediction_Hand_(aka_Benediction_Sign_or_Preacher's_Hand)

:dunno:

maximus otter
 
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