Decade Rosary

Object Name
Artist/Maker
Object Type
Date
1523-1539
Medium
boxwood
Credit Line
Paris, Louvre Museum, Department of Decorative Arts
Object Number
OA 5610
Location
AGO, Gallery 137 Margaret Eaton Gallery
Institution/Owner

Dimensions

Overall Closed: 43.6mm × 52.6mm × 528mm (4.4 × 5.3 × 52.8 cm) [52.8 cm Length of Rosary]
Overall Open: 49.8mm × 49.8mm × 92mm (5 × 5 × 9.2 cm)

Description

Paternoster, Ten Apostle Ave Beads, Crucifix, and Finger Ring

Paternoster: exterior - Gothic tracery;
Interior upper: Celestial Jerusalem with Christ presiding over Last Judgement with St. Matthew on left, Job on right;
Interior lower: Cleansing of Naaman with St. Jude seated by River Jordan

Bead B: members of church; Good Samaritan?

Bead C: Baptism of Christ; Pentecost

Bead D: Last Judgement; Judgement of Solomon

Bead E: Ascension; Transfiguration; murder of Amos by Amaziah, priest of Bethel

Bead F:Death with spear; Elijah raising widow's son; Resurrection

Bead G: Descent into Hell; Harrowing of Hell; Death of Zachariah

Bead H: Crucifixion; Entombment; David dancing before the Ark

bead I: Annunciation; Nativity; Death of Isaiah

Bead K: Habakkuk feeding Daniel in the lion's den; God in majesty; Christ Child in Glory holding tau cross

Bead L: Creation of the Heavens; Christ Child in sun with scroll; Moses receiving tablets

finger ring bezel: coat of arms

cross: Crucified Christ (recto); Anna Selbdritt (verso)

Signature, Inscriptions, and Markings

Inscription
Each ave bead has an identifying letter beginning with B (next to pater noster), ending with L (no J) - texts are carved on scrolls held by apostles (Apostles' Creed: Renaissance letters), prophets (OT texts in `black letter') and sibyls

[carved on hoop of ring]
SANS FAVLTE [Renaissance letters]

[paternoster]

SANCTI PER FIDE VICERVY' REGNA heb' II [Hebrews 11:33; exterior upper half around trim]

OMNE QVOD NON EST EX FIDE PECCATV' EST ro [Romans 14:23; exterior lower half]

CARNIS RESVRREXIONEM ET VITAM ETERNA' [Renaissance letters on scroll held by St. Matthew]

IN CARNE MEA VIDEBO DEVM / JO [black letter on scroll held by Job 19:26 - both upper inner]

HELIZE [black letter label]

SEPTIES LAVARE IN IORDANE [black letter on scroll]

JUDAS THE [Renaissance letter label]

REMISSIONEM PECCATORVM [Renaissance letters on St. Jude's scroll]

B
SCAM ECCLESIA' CATHOLICA SACTORV' CO' 10 [St. Simon]
CONSVMMABO TESTAMENTV NOVVM jhe 31 [Jeremiah - source: Hebrews 8:8]
[indecipherable scroll held by sibyl]

C
CREDO IN SPIRITV' SANCTVM [St. James the Lesser]
SPIRITV MEO SR' OMN CARNE [Joel 2:28]
...hec fieri aut ycodei [sibyl]

D
INDE VERITVR' E' IVDICARE VIVOS ET MOR [St. Matthew]
IPSE INTER FRATRES DIVIDET ozee 13 [Hosea 13:15]
SECRETA AT' RELERABIT PACTORA [sibyl]

E
ASCENDIT I CELOS SEDET AD DEXTRA DEI PTIS OMI [St. Bartholomew]
EDIFICAT IN CELO ASCENSIONE SVA am. 9 [Amos 9:6]

F
TERCIA DIE RESVRREXIT A MORTVIS [St. Thomas]
EPOMVIT IONAM I ARIDAM jone 2 [Jonah 2:11]

G
DESCENDIT AD INFERNA [St. Philip]
EDCXIT VINCTOS DE LACV zacha 9 [Zachariah 9:11]

H
PASS'SB PONCIO CRVCIFIXVS MORTV SEP' [St. Andrew]
EGO SVM VERMIS Z NON HOMO ps. 21 [King David - source: Psalm 21:7]

I
QVI CEPTVS EST SPTV' SANCTO NAT' EX MARIA VIRGINE [St. James]
ECCO VIRGO COCIPIET PARIET FI esae [Isaiah 7:14]

K
ET IN IHM SV' XPM FILIV' EI' VINCV' DNM NRM' [St. John]
EXVLTABO IN DEO IHESV MEO abec 3 [Habakkuk 3:18]

L
CREDO IN DEVM PATRE' OMNIPOTETEM CREATORE CELI ET TERRE [St. Peter]
AVDI YSRAEL DNS DEVS SICVY POLLVS EST [Moses - source: Deuteronomy 6:3]
DE LXV E [Christ Child]

[source: Romanelli - note that Molinier 1902 has some of inscriptions transcribed in upper/lower with slight differences]
Markings
Coats of arms Floris van /Florent d'Egmont, count of Bueren and Leerden (1469-1539) and his wife Marguerite de Glymes are on the bezel: quarterly 1 and 4 chevronny, 2 and 3 a fesse embattled and counter embattled, overall an escutcheon charged with a saltire impaling the upper bears party fessewise, in chief a lion rampant and paly of 7 and inbase mascles - source: Romanelli

Published References

Emile Molinier, Donation de M. le Baron Adolphe de Rothschild (Paris 1902, 24-25, no. 60); Richard Marks, Two Early Sixteenth Century Boxwood Carvings Associated with the Glymes Family of Bergen op Zoom (Oud Holland, 91, 1977, pp 131-142)

Catalogue Raisonné

Romanelli 14

Provenance

Provenance
Baron Adolphe de Rothschild, Paris (1901)
Previous Owner(s)
Baron Adolphe de Rothschild

Subjects

The online catalogue raisonné and digital photography made possible through the generous support of Thomson Works of Art