Unknown Maker, French

During Mass, worshippers in the medieval and Renaissance eras kissed an object known as the pax. This symbolized the act of kissing each other, a customary early Christian greeting known as the Kiss of Peace (osculum pacis). While some pax were stationary objects, many-including this one-had handles attached to the back, allowing them to be held outward. Pax were produced in a variety of materials and typically featured scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary. Here the natural layers of a shell were carved to depict the Annunciation, the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive God’s son.