Terracotta sculpture representing Saint Cosmas
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Ships from The Netherlands
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This reinforced chest was used to store the missal: an often richly decorated and valuable book containing the liturgical prayers for the Mass. The way in which the iron-reinforced missal boxes were designed to express a certain inviolability emphasises the importance of the missals. The architectural form is said to be derived from the description of the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant, a rectangular portable chest with two rings on either side, supporting carrying sticks. The missal boxes occur in this form in France and Spain, they are also called 'coffret a mailles or a la maniere d'Espagne', and an Eastern influence is noticeable in the decoration.