Spain
No manufacturer’s mark
1750-1800
Cast gold, chiselled; colourless quartz; engraving
Inventory sheet
The medallion has two polychrome engravings, placed in the centre and between glazes. On the face, the Divine Shepherdess is depicted, and on the reverse side, St Isidore. The devotion and iconography of the Virgin as the shepherdess of souls appeared, from 1703 onwards, associated with Saint Isidore of Seville. According to tradition, the Virgin appeared to the Capuchin friar dressed as a shepherdess. This new representation, which spread from Spain to the whole of South America and Europe, was taken on as a symbol of the Capuchin Order.
This pendant is in the form of a double-framed oval medallion, surrounded by a border of floral motifs, scrolls and other stylised ornamental features topped by a floret, in the Baroque style. The composition is enriched by the application of eight lapidated colourless quartz crystals.