Reliquary: A container to store precious objects

[Dick Bonham]

I haven't posted here in a long time. Many of the pieces I do are large bronzes and it has been a while since I have done a piece with a lot of engraving. The piece I have done is a Reliquary for Pennsylvania wildlife.
Reliquaries are the containers that store and display religious relics. Since the relics themselves were considered "more valuable than precious stones and more to be esteemed than gold," it was considered only appropriate that they be enshrined in finely crafted vessels, or reliquaries. These precious objects constituted a major form of artistic production across Europe and Byzantium throughout the Middle Ages.
I have created this “Reliquary” to symbolically protect Pennsylvania’s water and wild life from hydraulic fracturing or "hydrofracking” which poses extreme risks to our environment. Pennsylvania has a long history of causing long-term environmental damage, for short-term gain.
My “Reliquary” is fabricated from bronze, brass and silver. The outside box is 4 3/8” square and 3” high. The sides and top of the box are pierced and hand engraved with swamp maple leaves. The box which is “locked” inside the outer box is 4” in diameter and 2” high. The outside of the box shows a tree frog sitting on a swamp maple branch in late spring. The inside of the box depicts a bull frog dining on a dragonfly while sitting on lily pads. Under the frog, in the water, sits a crayfish with a sunfish. Everything has been hand fabricated. None of the pieces were cast.
Dick

[SVD]

Lovely work - thanks for sharing it with us.

[Roger Bleile]

Dick,

Exceptional fabrication and a clever concept.

Cheers,
Roger

[Dick Bonham]

Thank you both for the comments. Fabrication is a lot of work but it relates well to a one-of-a-kind piece.
Dick

[chujybear]

Is the inner vessel the object of the reliquary? Or is there meant to be a further object stored deeper?

[Dick Bonham]

The entire inner piece is the Reliquary. One of the reasons I used frogs is because of their sensitivity to the environment. I also tried to symbolize water. Right now I am working on a piece with insects.
Dick

[chujybear]

Thanks.
It's dope! In case you didn't know.

[Chris Botha]

thats beautiful, thank you for sharing

[Dick Bonham]

Thank you very much Chris.
Dick

[hand e dave]

Mind blowing when one thinks about the skills and hours of hand fabrication needed to complete an object like this. This is true art, in it's highest form.

[Dick Bonham]

Thank you very much! I could not have done it without my Lindsay graver, sharpening templates and diamond sharpening blocks. Thank you Steve!!!!
Dick

[mtgraver]

Dick
An outstanding piece of work. Do you use silver solder or a brass type solder? I like the patination you've used on this piece.
Mark

[Dick Bonham]

Hi Mark,
Thank you. I use a brazing paste then hard, medium and soft silver solder pastes. The patinas are from JAX and sculpt Nouveau. After I apply the patina I use colored waxes.
Dick