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Francis Janssens van der Maelen

Saint Cosmas bust in gold, rock crystal, skull
Flamboyant Gothic, in the style of Viollet-le-Duc, circa 1845–1870
H. 27 × W. 20 × D. 8 cm
Weight: 1.468 g
Provenance: private collection

Solid gold reliquary bust in 22-carat yellow gold with a movable headdress opening onto a rock crystal cabochon magnifying glass covering fragments of cranial calvaria. Work in the Flamboyant Gothic style (Viollet-le-Duc), set with quartz and garnet cabochons. On the front, a cartouche bears a Latin inscription engraved on two lines: “Sanctus Cosmas Ora pro nobis” (“Saint Cosmas, pray for us”), surmounted by an oval rock crystal cabochon surrounded by eight alternating quartz and garnet cabochons. The piece is unhallmarked, which is not unusual for a reliquary. Beneath the base, an old label bears the handwritten inscription in ink: “No. 1”.