Objects of Devotion - Ex Votos

An earthquake ravages a small town in central Italy. Catastrophic fissures rip through the buildings; desperate cries can be heard from those whose houses are collapsing; others try to attract attention by standing on rooftops and waving their hands but to no avail. Only one home stands firm while the buildings all around it crumble to the ground. Here, the Viadana family kneels in quiet prayer; husband, wife and four sons, all neatly attired and strikingly tranquil amid the chaos, appeal to their local saint, Nicholas of Tolentino.

This compelling image is preserved among the remarkable collection of painted wooden boards at Tolentino, central Italy, dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries, as University of Cambridge historian Dr Mary Laven explains. Her research is focused on understanding how such paintings and other 'objects of devotion' shaped life in Renaissance Italy.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Objects
• devotion
• religion
• commodification
• Italian
• renaissance
• Mary
• Laven
• University
• Cambridge
• paintings
• Tolentino
• Nicholas
• Saint