Victoria and Albert Museum
The world’s greatest museum of art and design
Opening times
10.00 to 17.45 daily
10.00 to 22.00 Fridays
Plaquettes 1400-1550
'The Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist', plaquette
'The Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist', plaquette
The Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist
Plaquette
Italy
About 1500
Bronze
Museum no. 6977-1860
The pax, introduced in the Middle Ages, was kissed by the priest and congregation before taking communion. This relief is a rare example of a pax with its handle still attached. It would have been held up during the Mass as a devotional image for worship.
