RARE Extra Large Gilded Bronze Brass French Sacred Heart with Antique Convent Work Pouch

An extraordinarily large sacred heart, it measures 8 1/2" tall. It was found in the south of France, near Avignon, and comes with a beautiful convent work pouch. The materials of the pouch date towards 1860; the sacred heart towards 1880.

The pouch is made of an old ecclesiastic vestment using the brocade silk fabric and cotton braid. The Maltese cross at the center is entirely handworked, in grey silk/cotton thread, with an alternating running stitch. The gilt thread outlines are hand sewn using tubular gilt trim (you can see the tiny stitches running horizontally.

The sacred heart is set with over 100 faceted glass stones ranging from large to very small on the initial, "M". It is a three part construction; the bottom gilded bronze frame (consisting of an outer braided band which forms the channel for the stone settings and the mount for the front "door" of the heart), the top heavily domed heart shaped "door" and the flat back "door. The gilded brass top heart half has a large mounted monogram, "AM" (Ave Marie) which is hand cut from a textured brass sheet. The bezel set stones are mounted on top of this, very closely together. The initial attaches on the inner back.

The flame is mounted to the flat back via a straight "pin". The pin has a loop at the top with a ring which would have been used for hanging with a rope or chain. The flame is heavily curved at the center which gives great dimension to the appearance.The door opens to reveal the deep chamber, which would have perhaps held a memoriam for a particular festival or celebration within the parish.

The total measurements are: 8 1/2" x 4 1/8" x 1 5/8" thick. The sacred heart is in very good antique condition: we have not polished it or cleaned it at all. The stones are all present, which is amazing. The door hinge is solid. The pouch measures 8 1/2" tall, 5 1/2" wide. It is in very good antique condition with no fading to the color and the embroidery work intact.

Considering the custom made pouch and the very large size of the sacred heart, we feel that this ex voto would have been donated (by a parishioner) and used within a memorial or celebration service in a convent or monastery.

The price we list is for the two pieces, the sacred heart and it's custom antique textile pouch.

We feature a photo at the end of the series with two other ex votos from the same collection for size reference only: we sell only the large sacred heart and the textile pouch in this listing. Please see the other votos listed separately in our shop.