# Crucifixion Relief from a Rosary Bead

- By: Flemish
- Date: 1500–25
- Medium: Wood
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: Diam.: 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in.)
- Culture: Flanders
- Credit line: Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/25469)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/109d0e0b-d6ae-6d97-01b7-002376d27ba9/full/!1895,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Private prayer and contemplation were fundamental to Catholic practice. The intimate scale and detailed workmanship of this wooden bead was intended to inspire both visual and spiritual wonder. The sequence and number of beads in a rosary also gave structure to prayers; rosaries could also be personalized with detailed ornaments, like a prayer nut carved to depict Jesus's crucifixion.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0