The transfer of the name “rosary” from the prayer form to the physical object took place at the beginning of the 16th c. Long before this occurred, the tallying devices, later called “rosary,” were either simple cords or closed chains of various lengths, with or without subdivisions, and made of a variety of materials (wood, bone, coral, mother of pearl, pebbles, seeds, pits ...). Around 1500 we find two major types of “rosaries”:

a)  Prayer chains with 50 beads or pearls symbolizing the 50 Aves, clustered in five groups of ten, each of these groups separated from the next by a larger bead or pearl;

b) The so-called tenner, a short string or cord with ten beads and some additional Paternoster beads. Affixed to one end there was a ring to slip the tenner from one finger to the other (5 x 10). The opposite end was decorated with a tassel, medal or special knot.  

Special devotions, fashion and local customs brought forth a variety of beads.  The short form of the “tenner” was usually reserved for men; it was the typical tallying device for monks as late as the 18th c.  Women resorted to the longer version and adorned their prayer chain with miniature figurines, images, scented dried fruit and flowers, and also pearls and gems.  Among the better known varieties are the ring rosaries, Bridget rosaries (6 groups of 10 plus 3 pearls), the psalter rosaries (15 groups of ten), rosaries based on the 5 wounds of Christ with symbols of the wounds hooked into the rosary. Some rosaries were made by goldsmiths (Altötting, Germany, 16th century); others with pits from apricots engraved with the portraits of civil rulers. Mass production started early (15/16th century) and allowed for cheaper rosaries from wood, jet, bone, glass, pewter, lead and iron. The 18th century knows of filigree rosaries, the 19th century produced chain-stitched rosaries. During these centuries three beads for faith, hope and charity were added, and the Greek cross was replaced by the Latin cross. The Orthodox tradition knows the komposkoini (literally a rope with knots).  Popular since medieval times, the komposkoini is used by monks and nuns for the recitation of the Jesus Prayer.  The cord is attached to a cross and has from 33 (years of Jesus' earthy existence) to 50 and up to 300 (number of genuflections) knots.  Mary plays a central intercessory role in the longer formulas of the Jesus Prayer.

This exhibit wants to document one of the many ways in which people have expressed their devotion to Mary with the very beads they use to pray the rosary.  The gamut is wide.  It encompassed countries, materials, saints and special themes.