Pair of reliquaries, custodians; Italy, second half of the 18th century.Carved and gilded wood.Measurements: 74 x 332 x 15.5 cm.Pair of reliquaries with the same structure and ornamentation, made of carved and gilded wood. Each one of the reliquaries that make up the lot is supported on a trapezoidal base, from which a foot starts that connects with the central oval-shaped body.Religious objects of this type, designed to house the relics of saints, were common from the Gothic period onwards, with crosses and so-called 'testas' being particularly popular in the documentation contemporaneous with their production. They were used to contain relics. Although many of them took very different forms, they all had the same devotional purpose, which sometimes went beyond fanaticism. It should be remembered, however, that at that time almost anything that had been in contact with the saint or his mortal remains (cloths, burial soil, etc.) was considered a sacred relic. This triggered a whole market for such objects. The best examples were made of precious metals, but specimens such as the present one were also highly valued, both for their container and, above all, for their content.