Monstrance

The monstrance is used in Catholic worship to hold the Eucharist for the devotion of the faithful. One of the most common shapes is the one called “sunburst”, alluding to the rays that surround the circular hole that is used to exhibit the Sacred Form. They are pieces usually made in precious metals, like gold or silver. This monstrance was made in Cuzco (Peru) in the last third of the 17th century, a period of splendour for the production of liturgical silver objects. In this case it is gilded silver with dark blue enamelled ornamentation and green in the enclosure and the base of the fifteen rays, each of which ends in an angel’s head.