2-727-137 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Devotional Badge with Saint James Flanked by Two Kneeling Pilgrims, c. 1200-1250. In addition to vessels, the glass kilns of Venice produced some devotional badges such as this one. These small objects may have been collected by pilgrims as mementos. This example probably recalls a journey to Santiago da Compostella in distant Spain, one of the greatest medieval pilgrimage destinations. Thought to imitate more valuable carved gems, these glass-plate medallions were made in large quantity by pressing a mold over opaque or transparent molten glass.