Category: Antiques

One of the joys of Charing Cross Collectors Market is that you never quite know what will turn up next. Among the coins, medals, watches and curiosities, occasionally something appears that is so unusual – and so fragile – that its survival is remarkable in itself. This wax icon of the Madonna and Child is a wonderful example.

Thought to have been made in France or Belgium around a century ago, it is a devotional object moulded entirely from wax. Despite the delicacy of the material, the relief remains remarkably complete, with the Madonna and infant Christ surrounded by ornate decoration and religious symbols. Turn it over and there is an intriguing clue to how, and perhaps where, it was made. The hanging cord appears to be made from the same type of material used for a candle wick.

That link is significant because religious wax-working developed alongside the making of candles in churches, monasteries and convents. Once the necessary skills and materials were available, wax could be used for much more than illumination. It could also be moulded into small devotional figures, plaques and shrines for private worship. Beeswax in particular became closely associated with the medieval Church. Unlike cheaper alternatives, it burns cleanly, produces little smoke and has a naturally pleasant scent. Beeswax candles were consequently prized objects and became an important part of church ceremonies throughout Europe.

Demand was considerable. Candles were required for Mass, baptisms, funerals and many other services, while some religious communities kept their own bees and produced their own candles. From that tradition came objects such as this one – something made from an everyday working material, but intended for a very different purpose. And considering just how easily wax can crack, soften, chip or break, perhaps the most extraordinary thing about this Madonna and Child is simply that, roughly a century later, it is still here.

Just another of the strange and wonderful survivors that find their way to Charing Cross Collectors Market every Saturday.

Small detecting finds make their way to Charing Cross Market most Saturdays, and this one is a proper curio.

It is a small solid hand, possibly silver, with the fingers clasped and the thumb pushed between them.

That gesture is known as the fig sign, or mano fica. It has carried different meanings in different places. In some contexts it was used as a charm for good luck, protection and fertility. In others, it was a rude or contemptuous gesture, so the meaning could change completely depending on where and how it was used.

That is what makes this little piece so interesting. One small hand could be a charm, an insult, a wish for luck, or a symbol of fertility.

There may also be a connection with the old phrase “I don’t give a fig”, though that origin is not certain. Some link it to the fig hand gesture as a sign of contempt, while others see “fig” simply as something small and worthless.

Either way, it is a tiny object with a surprising amount of attitude.