Agnus Dei Badges

Pewter badge, John the Baptist with Agnus Dei, eyes, Werben, Germany, 1450-1499, found in Münster, Germany, 45 x 38 mm. Münster, LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Westfällisches Landesmuseum, inv. V 279 (Kunera 11759). Image from LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Westfälisches Landesmuseum, Münster. Photo credits: LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Westfälisches Landesmuseum, Münster / Hanna Neander.

The Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) is an important, ancient symbol in Christian iconography. The symbol is a representation of Christ’s sacrifice, as demonstrated by the lamb, and his victory, as demonstrated by the cross. The term is associated with the Paschal lamb sacrificed during Passover (as seen in Exodus chapter 12), which then later came to be a symbol associated with Easter due to the occurrence of Passover and Easter in the same time period.

“Behold the Lamb of God”

There are two-hundred-and-ninety-seven Agnus Dei medieval badges and coins currently listed on the Kunera database of late medieval badges and ampullae. Some of these surviving badges depict John the Baptist holding the Agnus Dei in his arms. These badges capture the New Testament linkage of Christ to the Lamb, when John the Baptist proclaims Jesus as being the Lamb of God in the gospel of John: “John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29, KJV).

In the Kunera database, of the surviving John the Baptist badges picturing Agnus Dei themes, fifteen were originally from Werben, Germany. The Church of Saint John in Werben (St. Johanniskirche zu Werben) housed a relic (skull fragments) of John the Baptist in the Middles Ages, making the church an important stopover for pilgrims on late medieval pilgrimages to Wilsnack. The badge below depicts John the Baptist in a camel hide amidst trees and surrounded by the remainders of a gothic frame, beautifully commingling nature and architecture. In his left hand, he holds a small Agnus Dei within a round disk.

Variations on the Lamb

Pewter badge, Agnus Dei holding banner of the Cross (missing), origin unknown, 1300-1499, found in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands, 47 x 43 mm. Enkhuizen, the Netherlands, Gemeente Enkhuizen en Archeologische Werkgroep, inv. 321-222 (Kunera 17830). Image courtesy of © Archeologie West-Friesland.

Many other Agnus Dei badges depict a single lamb holding the banner of the cross, occasionally with a nimbus. Though these badges all feature a lamb, the lambs differ and are differentiated by the various decorations of the scene. I was enchanted by the simplicity in form of the Agnus Dei badge (left), which was found during an excavation in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands. The banner of the Cross is missing, but the bent front left leg of the lamb holding its remainder attests to the badge’s depiction of an Agnus Dei scene.

Other badges, like those pictured below, picture the lamb facing backwards and hold the scene within dotted frames. The badge found in Waterland, the Netherlands (left) depicts an almost donkey-like Agnus Dei with its slim body, long ears and large eyes. The badge found in Bruges, Belgium (right) also represents its Agnus Dei as a tall, slim figure that looks almost horse-like. Both lambs look back towards the banner of the Cross that appears as if it pierces straight through the lamb’s rib area. While the badge found in Waterland holds the lamb within a dotted round frame, the badge found in Bruges is surrounded by a dotted quatrefoil-shaped frame.

Front of pewter badge, Agnus Dei holding banner of the Cross in round frame decorated with dots in circles, pin, origin unknown, 1400-1449, found in Waterland, the Netherlands, 27 x 27 mm. Private Collection (Kunera 13252). Image courtesy of Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands, record PAN-18633 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Pewter badge, Agnus Dei with nimbus and banner of the Cross in quatrefoil-shaped frame, origin unknown, 1400-1449, found in Rijkepijnder, Bruges, Belgium, 36 x 33 mm. Bruges, Belgium, Raakvlaak: Onroerend Erfgoed Brugge en Ommeland, inv. col Beuck/1/1/A/364 (Kunera 07357). Image courtesy of © Raakvlak. https://collectie.raakvlak.be

Despite the wide range in representations of the Agnus Dei, all of these badges serve as visual depictions of their associated religious metaphor: the Lamb of God. This ancient symbol has a long-standing tradition in Christian iconography and remains in use to this day, as many of us saw this Easter weekend and will continue to see over time.

Written by Hannah Gardiner. Banner print by Ellen Siebel-Achenbach.