Screaming Beast - necklace

(this listing is made to order)
 
Carved from wax to mimic the screaming beasts often seen adorning medieval manuscript edges and architectural grotesques. During the Middles Ages, the Catholic Church used grotesques on their churches to tell the populace through the images how faith would protect them. By placing grotesques—representing evil—on the exterior, and religious imagery—representing good—in the interior, they conveyed that if one believed, they would be protected from destructive forces. They have elements of man in their features, but their overall image is simultaneously not human at all and often interwoven with scrolls, vines, and leaves amongst their fantastical bodies.
 
Made to be worn as a choker or very close to the base of the throat. Pendant measures 1.75" long and 1.25" wide.
 
Cast in solid sterling silver and darkened for detail. Made in Ohio