Jewellery, Watches, Antiquities and Objects of Vertu

A pewter pilgrim’s badge, 14th century, Northern European, of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ; Mary is crowned and seated facing holding in her right hand a fleur-de-lis with the nimbate Christ standing to her left side, all within a gabled building with a lily growing up each side and surmounted with three crosses; four stitching loops are attached, two on each side, length 43mm, width 32mm. £300-£340

The Virgin was considered to be the Queen of Heaven and a protector. Churches all over Europe had an image of the Virgin Mary which became a focus for worship. Similar examples have been recorded by H.J.E. van Beuningen, 1993, Heilig en Profaan, found in Dordrecht municipality of the Western Netherlands.