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Reliquary Busts of Female Saints
Date: ca. 1520–30
Geography: Made in possibly Brussels, Belgium
Culture: South Netherlandish
Medium: Oak, paint, gilt
Bust reliquaries for the skulls of saints were placed on or near altars and, by the late Middle Ages, often assembled in large numbers in church sanctuaries. The small glazed medallion resembling jewelry once displayed additional relics. On particular feast days, such reliquaries were carried in processions.