Our Lady of Perpetual Help Tin Shrine Ornament

The famous icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help shows the Virgin Mary seated as an enthroned empress with the Christ Child on her lap and the archangels Michael and Gabriel flying aloft at her shoulders.

As is typical with pretty much all Marian apparitions, her devotees petition the aid of Our Lady of Perpetual Help for all kinds of things, not just concerns falling under the narrower umbrella of her official patronage.

In Harry Middleton Hyatt's collections of folklore and folk religion, his informants especially noted her intervention for healing of illness, keeping food on the table, and opening the way to new opportunities like jobs when things are stuck or stalled (v. 2, pp. 962 ff).

This handmade ornament is intended to evoke the Blessed Mother's elegance and grace but without removing all the rough edges and scuff marks that are part of this icon's history and that characterize the fabric of her devotees' genuine lived lives.

From reclaimed post-consumer tinplate, I hand-cut and hammered the frame and its accordion-folded corona to encase this tiny print reproduction of the icon. A bit of 24K gold glaze plays against existing scuff and rust marks, giving them a subtle sheen but also protecting the piece from further rust.

After filing and sanding sharp corners and edges, I embellish it from my stash of fabrics, metals, beads, and trims to convey elegant imperfection, using reclaimed post-consumer aluminum, steel, and copper wire, lace ribbon in a floral motif, a deep burgundy pure silk ribbon that's approaching vintage age, a scattering of flat-backed resin and Swarowski crystals, a dusting of ultra-fine glitter, and a crystal from a reclaimed vintage chandelier.

Tinplate body is 2.25" high by 1.5" wide. With the cord at its current length measuring to the bottom of the crystal while hanging, entire piece is 6" long.

While this and all my tinplate work is filed/sanded carefully to remove sharp protrusions and corners, you should still keep in mind what it's made of and thus keep it away from children or pets.

These make great, affordable little decorations for your home or personal altar, but in my family, we will hang these on our Christmas trees and give them as gifts as Christmas ornaments, too. I love to do custom work, so message me if you have ideas for variations you'd like to see.