Antique Carmelite devotional shadow box featuring St John of the Cross — San Juan de la Cruz — displayed beneath glass in a deep wooden frame.
Entirely hand-crafted from wood, paper, glass, textile fibre, lace and delicate metal flowers, the composition includes devotional text written in Italian. St John of the Cross was one of the first Discalced Carmelite friars and a close collaborator of St Teresa of Ávila.
This distinctive piece comes from the contents of a historic Portuguese manor house and displays a beautiful, naturally aged appearance.
Several decorative appliqués have become detached over time. They remain inside the box and may be suitable for careful repositioning or specialist restoration. Please examine the photographs closely, as they form an important part of the condition description.
Probable date: late 19th century, approximately 1870–1900
Origin: European, possibly Italian; exact country unknown
Provenance: historic Portuguese manor house
Materials: wood, glass, paper, textile fibre, lace and metal
Condition: antique condition with age-related wear and detached interior appliqués
Height: 40 cm
Width: 31 cm
Depth: 6.5 cm
Weight: approximately 0.25 kg
A characterful piece of European sacred folk art for collectors of religious antiques, Carmelite history, convent work and unusual devotional interiors.
This item is offered for its decorative, historical and cultural interest. It is described as reliquary-style; no authenticated relic or ecclesiastical documentation is known to accompany it.
