Monstrance, late 16th century, (1881). Etching of a copper-gilt monstrance, made c1575-1600 in Spain. Monstrances were used to display the Eucharist so that it could be seen and venerated. This one is in the form of an architectural shrine and is decorated with strap work, columns and arcades in the style of the Renaissance. The upper section is a miniature three-storey classical temple, surmounted by a cross. From "The South Kensington Museum", a book of engraved illustrations, with descriptions, of the works of art in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (formerly known as the South Kensington Museum). [Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, London, 1881]