Little Miracles

Every culture has rituals and symbols that link daily life to the sacred realm of gods and goddesses, whether a single divinity or many. Numerous forms of faith also have magical messengers, such as saints or angels. Our understandings of their divine powers, their roles and the means by which people relate to them, have come down to us through oral histories, art and literature, with some remaining unchanged over the centuries, and others responding to current movements within a particular form of faith.

Little Miracles demonstrates the function of small-scale religious images, created to be displayed in domestic environments rather than on chapel or church walls. They graphically demonstrate the power of faith and contemplation to conjure up the divine, while traditionally serving as conduits for the faithful, allowing them to communicate with the saints and members of the Holy Family. Whether asking advice or begging for assistance in their daily struggles, such interactions served to give meaning to the tragedies and joys of life.

Level 1 exhibition spaces

Image: Paris Bordone, Madonna and Child with Saint Sebastian, 16th century, oil on panel, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1960.