Meneses Neo-Gothic Reliquaries. Relics of the Family of the Virgin Mary. Spain c. 1900

Neo-Gothic Reliquaries with Relics of the Family of the Virgin Mary. Spain c. 1900

Magnificent pair of antique Spanish reliquaries in Neo-Gothic style, made around 1900 by the Meneses house of Madrid in silver-plated metal, very decorative and with a strong religious presence. But what makes them truly special is that they preserve inside two thecae with relics of notable devotional interest. One of them includes a relic attributed to the veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary, together with relics of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Virgin; the other is again dedicated to Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary. This content turns the pair into an especially attractive set, centered on Marian devotion and on the family of the Virgin.

The two reliquaries form a pair and preserve the same model, something that makes them especially attractive. They have a polygonal base, molded stem and an architectural body with reliefs, pointed arches, lateral pinnacles and upper cross. Their silhouette recalls a small Gothic tabernacle, with that devotional air so typical of the religious historicism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The thecae or small boxes with relics that they carry are especially interesting. In one of them, the inscriptions "Ex velo B.M.V.", "S. Joach. Patris" and "Annae Matris" can be read quite clearly. The first comes to mean "Ex velo Beatae Mariae Virginis", that is, "From the veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary", so it identifies a relic attributed to the veil of the Virgin. The second, S. Joach. Patris, corresponds to "Sancti Joachim Patris", which can be translated as "of Saint Joachim, father", in reference to the father of the Virgin Mary. The third, Annae Matris, means "of Anne, mother", alluding to Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary.

In the second theca, "S. Joachim P.V.M." can be read, interpretable as Sancti Joachim Patris Virginis Mariae, that is, "Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary". All this gives the pair a very specific and unusual religious character, especially interesting for those seeking sacred art with real devotional content, not merely decorative. These relics are one of the most attractive points of the piece, because we are before a small devotional set centered on the family of the Virgin.

As for the condition, the two reliquaries are in very good used condition although one of them appears to show a very slight deviation. They preserve an excellent and very attractive image as a whole. Both are marked Meneses Madrid on the base, which makes it possible to relate them to one of the best-known Madrid houses in religious silverwork and metalwork of its time.

The Meneses house was a Madrid firm of great importance in Spanish silverwork and metalwork of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its name appears associated both with silver pieces and with silver-plated metal objects intended for domestic, civil and religious use. The "Meneses Madrid" mark, visible on the base of these reliquaries, is well known in this type of production and is usually accompanied by an emblem with a radiating M, which functions as the workshop's distinctive mark.

A pair of reliquaries especially attractive within antique sacred art, not only because of their elegant Neo-Gothic presence and the Meneses Madrid mark, but because of the deeply devotional meaning of their relics. The presence of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne in their thecae gives the set a very beautiful spiritual depth, especially suitable for a priest, a private chapel or a person who values these pieces from the perspective of faith.

Measurements: Height 19.5 cm (7.68 in). Maximum width 11 cm (4.33 in). Base 9.5 cm (3.74 in).