Global Catholicism in Seventeenth-Century Prague

The histories of early modern religion and trade have both benefited from the global turn in recent years. This article brings the two fields together through the study of religious objects in Prague in the seventeenth century and shows ways in which religion and religious practice were entangled with new commercial and artistic ventures that crossed regional and international borders. Amongst the possessions of seventeenth-century Prague burghers were religious objects that had come from exotic lands, such as a ‘coconut’ rosary and a ruby and diamond ‘pelican in her piety’ jewel. These objects were made in multiple locations and traded to satisfy a new demand for items that could aid and display devotion, as well as act as markers of wealth and confessional identity. Through this study of religious objects, Central Europe is revealed to be an important locale to the global history of the early modern period.