A simulacrum is a life-sized wax figure of a saint that serves as a visually compelling reliquary for the saint’s relics. St. Martha’s Guild was part of the restoration process for an 18th century simulacrum of St. Lucy, and they document the process with lots of photos. I don’t have permissions to repost and this was all within the last couple of years, so copyright is intact – you’ll just have to click through to see.
And you should click through if you’re into saints, art restoration, embroidery, vintage/antique fabrics, sculpting, dollmaking, or even just plain weird stuff. It’s weird. Maybe even a little unsettling. But truly incredible restoration work and the final result is beautiful, even if it is a little creepy.
Seraphin Station 