French la Vie

A Rare Liturgical Antique
2025-12-21 11:00 UTC by Corey

Over twenty five years ago I stumbled upon these processional shields at a brocante, where an entire group of them appeared at once—rare enough that it immediately drew attention. I was not alone in recognizing that these were worth attention.

With limited means, I purchased as many as my pocketbook would allow, aware even then that I had come upon something exceptional, wishing I could buy more. Over time, I sold some, kept a few, and gifted others. In all the years since, I have never encountered others as authentic to the period as these.

Much later, while visiting a museum in Aix-en-Provence, I came upon a painting depicting a religious procession in which figures carried shields unmistakably like those I had found years before. In that moment, the intuition I had trusted at the brocante was confirmed. What I had was not merely a group of intriguing objects, but liturgical objects that once moved through streets by candlelight, within the rituals for which they were made.

An 18th-century hand-painted religious processional shield from Provence. Made to be carried during religious village processions rather than displayed in a church. The painted scene shows the Christ child being presented in the temple by his parents- an aged patina over time.

The shield has a fitted holder intended to support a candle, allowing the image to be illuminated during evening processions. On the reverse, there is a shaped hand grip for carrying the object directly, as well as a socket or attachment point that allowed it to be mounted on a staff or pole to be raised high during a procession. Very rare liturgical pieces