Ebony case, ground crystals, cherub heads and bees (horseflies) in embossed and chiseled silver and gilded copper

Throughout history, the relics of saints have always played a fundamental role in faith and devotion. The widespread cult of the Virgin, the apostles, and the saints, which developed over the centuries, both at the level of local churches and private devotion, also produced a collateral, almost "collecting" phenomenon, especially on the part of authoritative lay and ecclesiastical figures. The need for secure preservation of the relics and to leave them visible to the public worship of the faithful, made it necessary to provide special containers that, in many cases, became authentic goldsmith masterpieces. The present urn-shaped reliquary, in ebony, ground crystals, decorated with arabesques, with cherub heads and bees (horseflies) in embossed and chiseled silver and gilded copper, resting on eight onion-shaped feet, is a fine example. The presence of bees or horseflies, the emblem of the Barberini family, identifies the commission of our case by the influential noble family. In fact, it was customary to commission famous jewelers and cabinetmakers to create very refined caskets for the relics of their personal devotion, but also to offer as gifts to important representatives of the aristocracy and influential ecclesiastics. Provenance confirmed by publication in Disegni, argenti e argentieri dall’archivio Barberini, F. Barberini and M. Dickmann, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 2021. Dimensions: 34.5 x 23 x 22 cm