Mirakuleuze medaille, devotiepenning gewijd aan de Onbevlekte Ontvangenis van de Maagd Maria en de devotie tot de Heilige Harten van Christus en Maria, vervaardigd naar aanleiding van de verschijning 1830

Curator: Here we have a "Mirakuleuze medaille", or Miraculous Medal, a devotion medal dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and the devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Christ and Mary. It was crafted around 1830 after an apparition. Editor: There is something quite simple but deeply felt in the composition. The bas-relief in this example uses form to capture that symbolic event in material form, creating something devotional from everyday base metal. Curator: The design itself follows specific instructions revealed during the reported visions. On one side, you see Mary encircled by an invocation, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." And, on the other side is a cross intertwined with an "M," resting upon the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Editor: You're right, the intersection of these Christian and Marian symbols speak to faith but it's the industrial methods that fascinate me; this wasn't crafted, it was fabricated through what looks like die-casting techniques which suggest widespread distribution. Curator: That mass production does diminish the devotional element, to an extent, but think of its availability to those seeking solace. The repetition acts almost like a visual mantra, imbuing it with the potential for hope. Editor: And in holding that hope, the materiality of this item might gain its deeper, more lasting value; passed hand-to-hand, a history of touch, sweat, and intention is bestowed on the artifact through the process of everyday use and belief. It's not only an artifact of faith, but of labor. Curator: A compelling way of interpreting this particular metal devotional. We often view such items through the prism of faith or art but analyzing the socio-economic perspective sheds a more lucid understanding. Editor: Agreed; to see beyond iconography towards methods of production and use opens interesting new questions about belief and meaning itself.