Daguerreotype Our Lady of Lourdes wall shrine altar Mary antique inspiration spiritual assemblage medal mini 2024 rosary enamel vase luminaries

Create an inspirational corner with this Our Lady of Lourdes wall shrine / shadowbox of antique and vintage memorabilia. A coming together of so many old and interesting pieces, this is a great gift for devotees of Holy Mother Mary, and Our Lady of Lourdes in particular. In my collecting, I find that this beautiful draped profile of Mary, is the iconic view of Mary of Lourdes found on so many religious medals. These individual antique components, reminiscent of the apparition of Mary, collected lovingly by me over time, have been patiently waiting for each others' company. They have been introduced to each other in this comforting, devotional piece.

There are so many interesting and lovely touches on this wall altar / shrine.

Here is a description of the components starting on the upper left:

- a beautiful tiny enameled metal vase depicting a bird. It is beautiful on its own, but I have included a miniature glass beaded rosary, converting the vase into a reliquary to hold the rosary. It can be seen in pictures 6 and 7. I gleaned 2024 this lovely little rosary from a vintage pocket shrine.

- a large oval antiqued brass filigree frame for the antique brooch of Our Lady of Lourdes. The brooch pin has been removed. There is a celluloid or plastic sheath protecting the metal image of Mary. I am not sure of the age of this piece but the clasp was of a style that would put this in the antique realm. Mary appeared at Lourdes in 1858.

- In pictures 3 and 4, you can see two tiny luminaries, or candles, that I have slipped or inserted into the frame edge. These were intended to be used for ceremonial lighting and came from a beautiful antique little box from France. The box also held tiny metal tongs to hold the luminaries from the base. They are very old. Not suitable for lighting on this piece, I have tried another one and it holds a flame for only about 10-15 seconds, probably due to their age.

- Picture 5 shows a celluloid flower, which had originally been an earring from the mid 1900's.

The base of this is a cover from an 1800's Daguerreotype case. It is lined with pattern embossed muted brick red velvet. To suspend this piece, I have used a man's watch fob from the 1800's. As can be seen in picture 9, there is an oval buckle as part of the watch fob. I have added a blue enamel medal of Mary inside the oval buckle. It appears that some repair work has been performed on this medal at some point.

This can be hung or leaned on a shelf or windowsill. The daguerreotype case measures 3 1/2" x 3" .

I work with antique and vintage parts. Some may show signs of wear or age. Please look at each picture closely. I have tried to show all aspects of my work. Please contact me before purchasing if you have any questions or would like more clarity in a picture. I like to think that older items have a character that newer parts have not yet earned.