This collection of fifteen silver and silver-plated ex-votos, also known as milagros, originates from southern Italy, particularly around Naples. Traditionally, these small devotional offerings were left in churches as expressions of gratitude for healing or answered prayers.
Each thin metal piece is crafted to represent the specific subject of the prayer fulfilled. Many in this collection depict babies, while others portray healed body parts. One particularly intriguing example depicts a husband whose fertility is symbolized by two phallic emblems positioned above his head.
These religious folk charms are powerful symbols of faith and devotion, with roots that reach back to ancient pagan practices. Long before their adoption into Southern Italian Christian traditions, votive offerings like these were a common way for people to seek favor from the divine.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: the smallest heart measures 4 x 3 cm; the arm measures 23,5 x 6 cm.
Weight: combined 180 grams.
Age: The stencils for these ex voto's have been used since the 19th Century, so they are not easy to date: I therefore date them quite broadly to the 20th Century.
Material: This collection can be divided into three groups. I have photographed them grouped by metal type.
925/1000 silver: the three hearts.
800/1000 silver: The collection of six voto's depicting a wife, a husband, a leg, a foot, a stomach and a back.
Silver-gilded metal: the rest of the collection.
Condition: In great vintage condition with minor wear, consistent with age.