Pax tablet
Enable an agent to recognise a pax tablet, assess its ritual and physical state, and determine appropriate handling, display or liturgical use.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 14 findings · 29 questions
Pax identity Establish why the object belongs to the pax-tablet kind.
Functional identification
Connect the physical tablet to transmission of the kiss of peace.
Evidence of pax function
Record the strength and limits of evidence that the tablet was made or used as a pax.
- What document, attribution or physical evidence identifies this tablet as an instrument of the kiss of peace? provenance
- What distinguishes it from a devotional plaque or miniature altarpiece? boundary
Names and form boundaries
Resolve terminology without creating unsupported subdivisions.
Historical name mapping
Associate recorded names with this tablet form while preserving uncertainty about other forms.
- Which source calls the object a pax, pax board, osculatory or another term? provenance
- Does that term denote a tablet here, or a different physical form requiring a boundary decision? boundary
Sacred face Describe the image-bearing face and its relationship to ritual contact.
Image and text
Identify what the tablet depicts and says.
Iconographic identification
Separate directly visible details from attributed subjects and uncertain readings.
- Which figures, scenes, symbols and inscriptions can be identified on the tablet? definition
- Which source supports the proposed subject and inscription reading? provenance
Ritual contact zone
Locate the intended or evidenced kissing surface.
Contact surface evidence
Distinguish a documented kissing location from a contact zone inferred from wear.
- Was the image, a protective cover or another designated area presented for kissing? provenance
- Where is wear concentrated, and what are its measured extent and visible characteristics? measurement
- Could cleaning, polishing or later handling explain the same wear? boundary
Tablet and presentation assembly Model the physical assembly that permits the pax to be held and presented.
Panel and frame
Describe the image-bearing panel and its enclosure.
Assembly materials and fit
Record constituent materials, dimensions and attachment relationships.
- What materials and fabrication techniques are supported for the panel, frame and decorative surfaces? provenance
- What are the panel and overall dimensions, and how is the panel retained? measurement
Rear handle and support
Assess how the tablet is gripped, presented and set down.
Presentation fitting integrity
Document surviving fittings and whether they can safely bear the assembly.
- Which rear fittings survive, and what evidence indicates their original or replacement status? provenance
- What are the assembly mass and the condition of handle attachments and support contact points? measurement
- May the object be lifted by its handle, or does it require support beneath the frame? action
Ritual and object history Connect the tablet to evidenced ceremonial practice and changes in function.
Local ritual context
Record use within a named community and period.
Documented presentation sequence
Capture who presented and kissed the tablet only where sources establish the practice.
- Which church, community and period are associated with this tablet's ritual use? provenance
- What evidence establishes who held, kissed or passed this pax and at what stage of the service? provenance
Commission and alteration
Track changes that affect identification and interpretation.
Pax assembly history
Distinguish original manufacture from conversion, remounting and later reuse.
- What evidence supports the maker, date, donor and original destination? provenance
- Was the image panel made for this pax, or adapted from another object? boundary
- Which later changes affected the handle, frame, imagery or ritual function? provenance
Preservation and permitted contact Translate the pax's material state and custodial status into handling decisions.
Contact-sensitive condition
Assess deterioration where the tablet is kissed, gripped or supported.
Surface and fitting vulnerability
Record damage and instability relevant to contact with the sacred face and rear fittings.
- Are coatings, image surfaces, decorative attachments or handle joints unstable? measurement
- Which observed conditions require suspension of handling or contact? action
- What material-specific assessment is needed before cleaning the kissing surface? action
Current use decision
Establish which actions are permitted for this tablet now.
Authorised presentation and display
Combine custodial permission with conservation assessment for display, handling or ritual contact.
- Who authorises present liturgical use, handling and conservation treatment of this pax? action
- Do current permissions allow kissing, supported presentation or display only? action
- What mount supports the assembly without loading fragile rear fittings or obscuring significant surfaces? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of Pax tablet this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of Pax tablet this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of Pax tablet this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of Pax tablet this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
A pax tablet is a portable Christian liturgical object, usually bearing a sacred image, presented to be kissed as a means of exchanging the kiss of peace.
In scope
- Evidence identifying a tablet as a pax or pax board
- Sacred image, inscriptions and intended kissing surface
- Tablet, frame, rear handle and support arrangements
- Materials, fabrication, alterations and contact wear
- Object-specific ritual history and present handling permissions
Out of scope
- The kiss of peace as a ritual action
- Theology of peace, communion and sacred images
- Complete orders of Mass and their regional histories
- Devotional plaques without evidence of pax function
- Relics and their authentication, except their physical relationship to the tablet
- Electronic tablets and products named Pax
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognise a pax tablet, assess its ritual and physical state, and determine appropriate handling, display or liturgical use.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Identification requires evidence of intended or actual use in transmitting the liturgical kiss of peace; sacred imagery alone does not establish pax function. See [Montreal Museum of Fine Arts](https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/works/23855/).
- A decorated tablet with a rear handle is a documented pax form; record missing or altered handles without automatically rejecting the identification. See [Florence Cathedral Museum](https://duomo.firenze.it/en/discover/opera-duomo-museum/the-halls/sala-del-tesoro/9060/orafo-fiorentino-pace-con-pieta).
- Distinguish a tablet presented for ritual kissing from an image intended only for viewing or private devotion through documentary and physical evidence.
- Do not identify an object as a pax solely because it bears the word PAX, contains a relic or resembles a small altarpiece.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Treat a pax as mere decoration in a way that disrespects its religious meaning.
- Present a reproduction as a historical original or invent its history.
- Assist in removing a pax from a church or community without lawful authority.
- Recommend cleaning that damages enamel, gilding or painted surfaces.
Only with a human decision
- Selling, lending or exhibiting a pax held by a religious community.
- Conservation treatment of a historic piece.
May
- Identify a pax tablet and describe its liturgical use with respect for the tradition.
- Record a specimen's material, imagery and provenance for its owner or museum.
Moral aspects Filled
- A pax is a sacred object, and its imagery carries meaning for believers.
- Church objects are often targets of theft and illicit trade.
Who is affected
- Religious communities
- Museums and collectors
- Researchers
Owners Filled
Steward
The church or community that holds it, or the museum where it is kept.
Master systems
- Museum collection catalogues
- Registers of stolen cultural property
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q3348164 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.pax-tablet
- Wikidata: Q3357200 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3357200)
Direct properties required Filled
- Pax identification basis: documented ritual use; historical inventory attribution; museum attribution; morphology only; unresolved
- Tablet dimensions: height, width and depth in mm; distinguish overall assembly from image panel
- Assembly mass: g
- Materials and surface treatments: identified substrate, frame, handle, coating and decorative materials; uncertain identifications explicit
- Sacred subject and inscriptions: depicted subject; inscription transcription and language; uncertain readings
- Presentation fittings: rear handle present, absent or fragmentary; support present or absent; attachment secure, loose or unassessed
- Kissing surface condition: intact; worn; coating loss; cracked; unstable; unassessed; contact zone uncertain
- Liturgical association: linked church, community, rite and dated evidence of use
- Present use authorisation: display only; supervised handling; liturgical use authorised; contact prohibited; unknown
Recognition required Filled
- A small flat tablet with a handle on the back, bearing a sacred image on the front.
- Made of metal, ivory, wood, enamel or painted panel, often framed like a small altarpiece.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Compare the tablet's form and documented use with identified paxes.
- Record the sacred image, inscriptions and possible contact zones.
- Assess whether the rear handle and frame permit supported handling.
- Link historical ritual use to a specific community and period.
- Select a display or storage support that avoids loading fragile fittings.
- Refer proposed kissing, cleaning or restoration to the responsible custodian and conservator.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Theft and illicit trade of church objects.
- Wear and damage from handling and kissing over centuries.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970), UNESCO.
Context of use required Filled
- Pax tablets are encountered in historical Catholic worship, church treasuries and museum collections.
- They were presented for kissing as a ritual means of communicating the peace during Mass.
- Their imagery, materials and wear support study of devotional practice, craftsmanship and patterns of liturgical use.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q3357200: Pax tablet - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Pax (liturgical object) - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does the registry intend Pax tablet to cover all objects called paxes or only tablet forms, particularly where sources also describe pendant forms?
- Which dated regional sources establish variations in presentation, participants and the sequence of kissing?
- What evidence reliably distinguishes a purpose-made pax from a devotional plaque subsequently fitted with a handle?
- How should tablets incorporating relics link to neighbouring reliquary models without duplicating the physical object?
- Which material-specific conservation assessments and custodial rules govern renewed ritual contact with surviving examples?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q3357200/spec.json