Paternoster A paternoster is the large bead on a rosary that is placed in sequence before the ten smaller ave beads. When a rosary is used for prayer, paternosters are the beads where the Lord’s Prayer is said. The name is derived from the Latin Pater...
Pectoral Pectoral refers to jewelry worn on the pectoral muscles, i.e. the breast. Sevigne brooches, as well as military decorations, are examples of pectoral decorations, although the former was usually worn at the midpoint of the breasts. Egyptian Pectoral Ornament...
Pomander Portrait of a Woman Holding a Pomander on a Beaded Cord by Barthel Bruyn the Elder. Date ca. 1547 From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, pomanders were considered an important and even necessary accoutrement in navigating through a pungent and often...
Reliquary A reliquary is an early locket created with the purpose of holding a religious relic. These often took the form of a pendant so that the relic could be worn and displayed at all times. Cruciform reliquary pendants were extremely popular during the Byzantine...
Resilla Eleanor de Toledo, Duchess of Florence with a Pearl Resilla in her Hair and On her Shoulders.Agnolo Bronzino 1545. Resilla usually refers to a head ornament with a fishnet-like design. Fine wires or cords were inter-spaced with pearls, coral, jet and sometimes...
Reverse Crystal Intaglio Victorian Reverse Crystal Intaglio Animal Motif Bracelet. Glyptography is the art of gemstone carving and the term applies to both intaglios and cameos. Begun in ancient times, circa 15,000 B.C., as one of the earliest forms of communication,...
