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Spiked collar
17th Century
Provenance: Rome, Edoardo Martinari, 1933
The collar had spikes protruding on the inside, and was used to punish those who flouted the rules of the Church or the family.
Normally it was fixed to the walls of churches, cemeteries or squares frequented by merchants, or to prison doors.
The collar was also put on drunkards, quarrelsome women and prostitutes, who were held captive by it and were an object of public ridicule, for a maximum period of up to six weeks. Often the offender was obliged to wear a placard indicating the reason for the punishment round his or her neck.
