Prayer bead

Two scenes from the Passion of ChristJesus ChristJesus Christ is the central figure of the Christian religion. The name Christ comes from the Greek 'christos', meaning the anointed one. He was also called 'the son of God'. Christ's life and teachings are described in the New Testament. He was born some 2,000 years ago in Judea. His birth was accompanied by miracles. For instance, his mother was a virgin, called Mary, and his birthplace was a stable. Shepherds were told of his birth by angels and came to worship him as the new king. Jesus grew up as a practicing Jew. But at the age of about 30 he began to proclaim teachings that diverged from Jewish law. A group of disciples gathered around him and his activities brought him into conflict with the authorities. He was eventually condemned to death by crucifixion. According to the Bible, however, he rose from the dead and after his resurrection he was seen by a number of his disciples. Forty days later he departed from the world. But his followers continued to proclaim his teachings. This was the start of Christianity. are depicted in this small carving. It has the outer shape of a sturdy walnut, and is not much larger: only 4.6 cm in diameter. In this space the artist has managed to give a detailed portrayal of the CrucifixionCrucifixion - Luke 23:33-35'And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and one on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots. And the people stood beholding' (above) and of Christ carrying the CrossRoad to CalvaryAccording to St John, Christ himself carried the cross to which he was to be nailed (John 19:17). The other Gospels relate that Simon of Cyrene carried the cross to Golgotha. 'And as they led him away they laid hold upon one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, who also bewailed and lamented him.' (Luke 23:26-28) (below). This curious object is a prayer bead, for use during worship, either at home or when travelling. The depictions would help the worshipper to sympathise and empathise with the sufferings of Christ. The southern Dutch sculptor, Adam Dirkz, carved it out of boxwood, a hard, delicate type of wood, in 1515.

Carrying the Cross

The bottom half of the bead shows Christ proceeding to his execution. He has just left Jerusalem; the city gate is on the left. Jesus stumbles behind two murderers, also to be crucified, the heavy cross on his shoulder. In front of him kneels a woman who has just wiped the sweat from his face. Miraculously, Christ's image became imprinted on the cloth. She is St Veronica, a popular saint in the Middle Ages. Until well into the sixteenth century, a cloth known as 'St Veronica's veil' in the Vatican was considered to be a real portrait of Christ. Running around the scene, at the edge of the bead is an inscription in LatinInscriptionThe Latin text reads: 'jugu[m] ec[ce] meum suave est et onus meu[m] leve'. The letters in square brackets are missing in the note; it was in fact customary to leave letters out when writing Latin. The abbreviations reflect both the lack of space and the limited grammatical knowledge of the artist. But the faithful would have had little trouble; the texts were from well-known prayers. They were merely intended as a reminder.: 'see my yoke is sweet, my burden is light'. This is an encouragement to follow Christ.

Crucifixion

In the tableau at the top, Mount CalvaryGolgothaGolgotha means 'the place of the skull'; it was a hill outside the city of Jerusalem which was used for executions. A synonym for Golgotha is Calvary. Here Jesus was crucified. Artists often placed a skull in the foreground of depictions of the Crucifixion. can be seen with Christ on the Cross between the two murderers. There are a number of mounted guards on the scene. One is blind LonginusLonginusLonginus was the Roman centurion who supervised the crucifixion. It was he who pierced Christ's side with his lance to check that he was dead. When blood and water flowed from the wound, Longinus was instantly converted. He said, 'Truly this was the Son of God.' This is recorded in various parts of the New Testament (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47; John 19:33-37), although Longinus is not mentioned by name. According to legend, Longinus was blind before the crucifixion. When the blood of Christ spattered onto his eyes he regained his sight. The soldier's blindness is the symbol of his conversion: originally he refused to see who Christ was, but after the crucifixion the scales literally fell from his eyes. (with turban). A boy is helping him to aim his lance. Dangling from a branch on the right, is a miniature Judas, the discipleDisciplesDisciple comes from the Latin 'discipulus', meaning pupil, or follower. The term 'disciples' is especially applied to the followers of Jesus. From the many who gathered around him, Jesus selected twelve who would continue his work. They are named in the New Testament book of Mark: Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Less, Simon the Zealot, Thaddaeus and Judas Iscariot (the latter was replaced by Matthias after his betrayal). The twelve chosen disciples are also known as apostles (= emissaries). The term 'disciple' is usually employed for descriptions of acts during Jesus' lifetime, while the term 'apostle' is used for their activities after his death. who betrayed Jesus and was so ashamed later that he committed suicide. Left, in the foreground, Jesus' mother is shown. She is fainting and is helped by St John and two women. On the edge is inscribed in LatinInscriptionThe Latin text is as follows: 'tuam cruce[m] adormus d[omi]ne via[m] gloriosa[m] recolimus passio[n]es q[ui] pas[sus] es[t] p[ro] n[obi]s m[ortuu]s n[obi]s'. The letters in square brackets are missing in the note; it was in fact customary to leave letters out when writing Latin. The abbreviations reflect both the lack of space and the limited grammatical knowledge of the artist. But the faithful would have had little trouble; the texts were from well-known prayers. They were merely intended as a reminder.: 'we worship your Cross, Lord, and we commemorate your glorious path of suffering; who suffered and died for us'.

Travelling

Prayer beads were for use during worship. They were generally attached to the end of a rosary, a string of prayer beads for counting when reciting the Lord's Prayer (15 times) and the Ave Maria (150 times). The small hook with which this bead was once attached to the string is lost. When these prayer beads were taken on journeys, they were carefully stored in a brass case and a red velvet bag. The outside is decorated with various Gothic motifs. At the top pole a Latin text is inscribed around a central star, which reads: 'Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews'. At the bottom pole the name of the patron is inscribed round a revolving sun, Eeuwart Jansz. van Bleiswick, of Delft.

Private worship

The emphasis in the tableau and text of the prayer bead is on Christ's Passion. This is characteristic of private devotion, increasingly in vogue in Europe in the fourteenth century. The Christian worshipper tried to empathise with Christ as much as possible. Meditating on his sufferings was a good way of achieving this. Which is why there is often a depiction of Christ's Passion on objects designed for private devotion. One example is the small domestic shrine showing Christ as the Man of Sorrows, made in 1400.