Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Donarium

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

DONA'RIUM. The treasury of a temple; i. e. an apartment in which the presents made to the gods were preserved. Serv. ad Virg. Aen. xii. 179. Lucan. ix. 516. Apul. Met. p. 183.

2. A votive offering, or present made to the gods as a token of gratitude for some favour received, such as the recovery from sickness, or an escape from some impending calamity or accident (Aul. Gell. ii. 10. Aurel. Vict. Caes. 35.) These of course varied in value and character according to the wealth and taste of the donor, consisting of arms taken in war, tripods, altars, and valuables of any kind from persons who had means at their command; but the poorer classes made more humble offerings, such as tablets inscribed or painted with a representation of the deity miraculously interposing in their behalf, and similar to those so frequently seen suspended in Roman Catholic churches; or very generally articles in terra-cotta, which were kept for sale ready made at the modeller's shop, representing only certain portions of the body, such as an arm, hand, eye, foot, leg, &c., so that each person could purchase only the exact part believed to have been healed by divine assistance. The illustration (Donarium/2.1) affords a specimen of three donaria of this kind, all from originals in terra-cotta; a foot, two eyes, and a hand, which last has a gash in the centre, representing the wound the cure of which it was intended to commemorate.

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  Donarium/2.1