Reliquary casket of St. Francis Xavier
PLACE/DATE
India, Goa, ca. 1686-1690
MATERIALS
Silver, gilt and painted wood, glass
DIMENSIONS
56 x 45 x 24 cm
INV
RL.392
This piece was commissioned in Goa by Rodrigo da Costa (1657-1722), governor of the Portuguese State of India, following the attack by the armies of Maratha Sanbhaji (1657-1689) in 1683, to contain a chasuble of St. Francis Xavier buried in that city.
The structure is reminiscent of an octagonal-shaped European temple, like those that were placed at the entrance to the towns, but it is decorated with oriental imagery and phytomorphic lacework typical of Goan goldsmithery. The reliquary passed through the Costa (1686-1708), Almeida (1708-1779) and Castro (1779-2009) families through marriage, and was finally donated to the Museum of São Roque by Teresa Maria Mendia de Castro in 2009.
