HOGHENZOON, Jan Geldolfs

In the 15th century, Breda came into the possession of the house of Nassau. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance. Breda also had become a production centre for religious objects, such as monstrances, in the 15th century. The design of monstrances closely reflected the elaborate Gothic church architecture of the 15th and early 16th centuries. The glass section was for the host, the body of Christ, according to Roman Catholic doctrine. This sacred host was displayed in a monstrance to worshippers during processions and on religious feast days.

A very homogenous series of early 16th-century monstrances is known, to which the monstrance shown in the picture belongs.