Rosary, '5 wounds' (1475)

"Rosaries of the Passion" use the symbols of Christ's passion (hammer, nails, crown of thorns, etc.) or the location of Christ's wounds (hands, feet, and a head or heart) as gauds to separate the decades. The exact configuration varies depending on the symbols used, as does the degree of sophistication. A Passion rosary dated 1475-1500 is part of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. (Museum #517-1903)

The "Five Wounds" rosary generally consists of five decades separated by figural gauds representing two hands, two feet, and one heart or head (or sometimes a skull). These appear fairly frequently in the 16th to 18th C., but can be seen as early as the end of the 15th C. A 5 Wounds rosary dated to the 18th C. is part of the collection of the Diozesanmuseum in Cologne.

Our "Five Wounds" rosary is based on the late 15th C. woodcut shown at the right. An expensive rosary of the period would have been made of rock crystal and silver; the hands, feet and heart of our 'middle class' version are hand cast in pewter, and the beads are made of glass.

3 available:

1. Red glass beads, oval, pewter gauds, approx 12"
2. Rose glass beads, round, pewter gauds, approx 9"
3. Clear glass beads, oval, pewter gauds, approx 12"

Each rosary hand made by Gwen