Jet figure of Saint James the Greater. Santiago de Compostela, 15-16th cent

A small jet figure of Saint James the Greater.

Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 15-16th century.

Measures 5.2cm high.

Mounted on a small bronze display stand.

This carving would have served as a token representing a persons pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, one of very few places in which jet can be found and mined since at least the Middle Ages. As its name sake ‘Santiago De Compostella’ infers, these jet tokens of pilgrimage tend to depict Saint James of Compostella.

Saint James the Greater or James the son of Zebedee is the patron saint of Spaniards and as such is often identified as Santiago, hence his frequent veneration in small jet sculptures & talismans from Santiago De Compostela.