A devotional ex-voto flaming sacred heart (Sacré-Cœur), executed in repoussé sheet metal with a silvered finish. The relief-molded piece features a central raised heart motif encircled by a beaded scalloped border and surmounted by a stylized crest of radiant flames, complete with a small central piercing near the top edge for hanging or attachment.

Condition Report & Provenance

• Subject / Sitter: Sacred Heart (Sacré-Cœur / Ex-Voto)
• Period: Early 20th Century
• Material / Technique: Stamped sheet metal, repoussé, silvered patina
• Decorative Details: Embossed central heart, beaded border rim, stylized flame crest
• Colour & Surface: Aged silver patina with dark tarnish and oxidation highlights in recesses
• Condition: Surface tarnish and oxidation overall; minor denting to relief areas; small stress crack/split visible to lower left edge

History

Ex-votos (from the Latin ex voto suscepto, meaning "from the vow made") are devotional objects placed in shrines or churches as acts of thanksgiving or petition. Popular throughout Catholic Europe—particularly France and Italy—as well as Latin America during the 19th and early 20th centuries, flaming heart ex-votos symbolized profound divine love, intense faith, and gratitude for answered prayers.