Unknown artist, French

During Mass, worshippers in the medieval and Renaissance eras kissed an object known as the pax. This symbolized the act of kissing each other, a customary early Christian greeting known as the Kiss of Peace (osculum pacis). While some pax were stationary objects, many—including this one—had handles attached to the back, allowing them to be held outward. Pax were produced in a variety of materials and typically featured scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary. Here the natural layers of a shell were carved to depict the Annunciation, the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive God’s son.