Over the years the de Saisset Museum has become the de facto "Mission museum," housing many of the artifacts associated with the history of the Mission. Highlights of the collection include nearly twenty Mission-era paintings, a portion of which have been cleaned and conserved; holy relics including a reliquary fragment from Father Magin Catalá's habit; and the cornerstone and its contents from the third Mission site. The museum's holdings also include ordinary objects such as wooden goblets, terra cotta bowls, iron keys, and painted roof tiles. The objects housed in this collection speak to multiple facets of life at Mission Santa Clara between 1777 and 1836.
Cornerstone, 1781, stone, de Saisset Museum permanent collection, A.O.49. Religious Medals, before 1781, metal, de Saisset Museum permanent collection, A.15.20 a, b, c.
Nuestra Señora Refugio de Pecadores, 18th century, oil on canvas. Archangel Rafael, c. 17th century, oil on canvas; Virgin of the Apocalypse, 1750, canvas mounted on masonite, de Saisset Museum permanent collection, A.15.42, 1.335, and 1.314.
Wood Goblet, c. 1800, wood. Terracotta Bowl, c. 1800, painted and glazed red kiln-fired clay, de Saisset Museum permanent collection, A.O.93 and 8.85.