CILICE OF PENANCE – 19TH CENTURY
SOLD — This object is now part of a private collection
CILICE OF PENANCE – 19TH CENTURY
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Rare and authentic metal cilice, dated to the late 19th century. This object of devotion and mortification consists of an interlacing of metal rings ending in small inward-facing spikes, intended to be worn tightly around the thigh. Two old fabric ribbons, in a faded green color, allow it to be fastened.
Cilices were used in a religious context, particularly within certain monastic communities or confraternities, as an instrument of penance and bodily discipline. They are part of a long Christian tradition of voluntary mortification, recalling the sufferings of Christ and seeking to purify the soul through physical pain.
This model, by the fineness of its interlacing and the relative elegance of its workmanship, reflects the rigorist practices of piety still in force at the end of the 19th century, a period marked by a revival of asceticism and mystical fervor.
Complete pieces, preserved with their original ribbons, remain very rare on the current market of religious curiosities.
PERIOD : 19th century
DIMENSIONS : 40 cm
SIZE : 15.8"
An example of a cilice from the same period is held by the Louvre Museum in Paris, see here
The cilice, a voluntary instrument of pain, was widely adopted in various Christian communities for bodily mortification. It was intended to fight against temptations while cultivating an identification with the sufferings of Jesus Christ in His Passion and the spiritual fruits resulting from them.
