Featured 2 large rosary type crucifixes

hi folks

these were found in a house clearance shop

each large, 3 1/2 inches

think ones silver plated brass, other one copper or bronze

anyone have an idea of age, or what they were used for (both on a small ribbon type

any thoughts or info appreciated

 

we've discussed these as well.....

wait for the Christians to drop by.........

 

Will this lapsed Christian/former theology student do?

As you thought, rosary crucifixes. 19th century. Some were inlaid with bog oak, others with regular wood.

 

The lapsed catholic agrees with the former theology student.

 

I m not a Catholic but I grew up and am still living in a Catholic country, so I have seen my part of these.
I have once read somewhere that the scull on the cross' feet means this crucifix was for the nuns in function.
You can find loads of them if you google that term.
No idea if this is true but I love me a little scull (every church/graveyard I visit I m looking for those sweet looking 18th century sculls on grave stones)

 

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I saw this today as I collect these. They stopped being popular in the 1960s *(still make them though, but they are machine made). They were made with ebony or ebony style wood panels.

These were made as early as the 1700s and the older ones of the 1700s and 1800s were made by hand and hand filed. The older ones are more valuable of course. A lot of sellers sneakily call them WWII German Chaplain crucifixes to get more money selling them with an interesting fantasy story to get big bucks for them.

The one with the skull and crossbones was known as a Memento Mori Golgotha crucifix. The older ones have file marks/lines on the metal. Yours look to be from 1890s-1930s. Nuns, sisters, brothers, and priests would have these, but mostly nuns. Most nuns wore them around the neck with a shoestring or ribbon or wore them attached to rosaries around their waists with a chatelaine clip. Most I find for sale are from the 1920s-1950s, but a lot of sellers erroneously call the mid 20th century ones antiques.

They are usually known as profession pectoral crucifixes. The bigger and older they are, the more valuable. The prices of these are all over the place. One person will sell one for $20-$30 and another will sell one for a few hundred dollars depending on the "hyped up story" they tell.

It is harder to find the true antique hand filed ones with lines and tool marks in the metal or ones that are 6 inches or bigger. Collectors seek out the large ones attached to waist rosaries or large single hand filed ones. They were usually made in Germany, but some were made in France and Italy. Some of the large ones over 7 inches tall were coffin crucifixes or placed on a wall.

More info for you and others who may come across this old thread:

https://fscc-calledtobe.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/6-HH-June-2021.pdf

https://www.rosaryworkshop.com/MUSEUM-CRUCIFIXES-MB-European.htm

 

Synchroncity, that is do interesting!
Thank you very much for your info and the links!

 

Thank you for the info and links. Do you mean the large Golgotha ones are for nuns etc?
Because in Germany and here in the Netherlands these crosses are on rosaries, also the ones owned by lay people. My grandmother had one.
There is a small rosary with one of these crosses in this Dutch listing, closeup in photo #4:

https://www.marktplaats.nl/v/verzam...lationId=9316419e-b432-4be3-97f4-d325ea0df381

There are probably more on that site, but it is a bit much browsing through 35 pages of rosary listings.

From my rosary collection, an antique traditional folk rosary from Schwäbisch Gmünd, S Germany. The cross is inlaid with locally sourced bog oak, not regular wood:


This type of rosary were for unmarried girls.
Details of the cross, not a Golgotha type, but it does have the crown of thorns on the back:



A more recent rosary posted by KSW a few years ago:

 

What I find utterly fascinating about this is that Roman Catholicism here really frowned on the wearing of a crucifix, it was for prayer alone.

I’ve got an olive rood one like that.

 

The same here. People were shocked when Madonna started to wear rosaries, and young girls folllowed her.

But in some parts of southern Europe rosaries used to be worn for protection, like these black Spanish ones from my collection:

 

Yes, I’ve seen that in Spanish old master paintings.

 

So, am I totally wrong when I assume this small crucifix might be a really old one?
I think I can see the file marks. Poor Jesus has his face rubbed off because he was cherished so much
(It was just laying in one of my 'not the best stuff' mountains because its not very big)