Prayer beads at the Rijks Museum, Amsterdam

[Debora Beijerbacht]

Last autumn I payed a visit at the re-opened Rijks Museum in Amsterdam. It was great to see this all too familiar building so lovingly brought back to it's old grandeur and luster. And with some amazingly well balanced new additions too. 

 

 

It was also exciting to see some familiar pieces. First there were a few small chests, said to have been used to keep relics or other precious valuables. It's great to some originals that are similar to those that, no doubtably, have inspired Bill Robertson to create miniature versions of it.

 

 

In the same wing were two little prayer beads, dating back from the early 1500's. Made by Adam Theodrici. They depict holy scenes and were kept to help with prayers and to increase devotion. Imagining these little beads were worn at the time, it's amazing some of these intricate & fragile little carved beads have survived over 500 years.

 

 

 

Here's a neat video to show you a deeper insight in how these small were made up.

 

 

 

[ElgaKoster]

This is awesome, can't remember seeing them last year, then again, I am sure I saw only a fraction of the items in this museum. There are similar ones carved from Ivory in the MET museum in New York, they just blew my mind.

[Lee-Ann Chellis Wessel]

This was wonderful to see how this intricate piece was constructed !  The one of these carvings at The Cloisters in NY is a favorite of mine that I love to visit !

[Wm. R. Robertson]

That is so cool…… it makes we want to drop what I'm working on and start carving boxwood. I just love the layers with gothic tracery.

 

Thanks