Key, pierced steel, Spain, 17th century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
17th century
Key of steel, formally guilt, pierced with the monograms IHS (Jesus) and MA (Maria) in the bow and bit respectively. The bow, consisting of the monogram and scrollwork, is attached to the moulded stem by four short rods. At the end of the bow is possibly a screw for a ring.
Bought for £2 from the Rico y Sinobas Collection (Museum nos. 250-280-1900) and received on 17th November 1899 from Senor Esteban Minguez Moreno, Calle de Cuatro Santos 34, Cartegena, Spain.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Probably from a church. Pierced with IHS (the sacred monogram from the Greek for 'Jesus'), the wards with MA (Maria, for the Virgin).
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Steel, pierced, formally guilt
- Dimensions
- Length: 19.7 cm; Width: 6 cm
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- Spain
Design
- Marks and inscriptions
- 'IHS' and 'MA'
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London collection record for this single object (sentences kept verbatim apart from removed sale or rarity wording); how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Candidate id
- vam-O379982
- Museum object name
- Key
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- 250-1900
- Museum system number
- O379982
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and dating against a specialist reference; this entry documents one recorded example.