Journey of a Pilgrimage Pin
In progress personal project
2020-now
Micron Pen on Strathmore Paper
Journey of a Pilgrimage Pin is an illustration project that brings the travels of one medieval pilgrimage pin to life. Pilgrimage pins, typically made of lead or tin, were sold as souvenirs at sites of Christian pilgrimage during the later medieval period. They bear imagery relating to the saint venerated at that specific site. These pins often had prophylactic and protective powers.
When we think of pilgrimage during the Middle Ages, narratives often focus on the physical and spiritual journey of the pilgrim. My set of illustrations affords agency to the pin itself. Material culture is often just as important as textual sources in shedding light on a particular moment in history.
My illustration style is reminiscent of woodcuts and prints done by the likes of Hans Holbein the Younger, Michael Wolgemut, and Dürer.
A blacksmith forges the pin out of lead or tin
Pins are sold outside of the Cathedral
The pin asserts its prophylactic powers, protecting the pilgrim from sin and temptation (personified by the dragon) on his journey home
The pilgrim places the pin above his bed, both for protection and as a display of his faith
At the end of his life, the pilgrim throws his pin as a votive into the river Seine
By the late 19th century, hoards of pilgrimage pins are discovered in rivers across Northern Europe
These pins eventually end up in museums, like the Cluny in Paris
