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Source Description
This fine enameled cross is named the "Spitzer Cross" after the Viennese art dealer and collector Baron Frédéric Spitzer, who owned it in the 19th century. It has justly been hailed as the finest Limoges enameled cross to survive. The work’s coloration exemplifies its refined craftsmanship. Rendered in white enamel, with fine lines defining the rib cage, abdomen, and muscles, Christ’s body contrasts strikingly with the vibrant green, blue, and yellow of his halo, loincloth, and the cross.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
104693
label
The "Spitzer Cross"
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
104693
contentType
object
title
The "Spitzer Cross"
description
This fine enameled cross is named the "Spitzer Cross" after the Viennese art dealer and collector Baron Frédéric Spitzer, who owned it in the 19th century. It has justly been hailed as the finest Limoges enameled cross to survive. The work’s coloration exemplifies its refined craftsmanship. Rendered in white enamel, with fine lines defining the rib cage, abdomen, and muscles, Christ’s body contrasts strikingly with the vibrant green, blue, and yellow of his halo, loincloth, and the cross.
date
c. 1190
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60741289
creators
9481
genreSpecific
Enamel
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 67.4 x 41.9 x 0.2 cm (26 9/16 x 16 1/2 x 1/16 in.)
cul
France, Limoges
accession
1923.1051
Source extras
tec
copper: gilded, engraved, stippled; champlevé enamel; wood backing (modern)
tombstone
The "Spitzer Cross", c. 1190. Master of the Royal Plantagenet Workshop (French). Copper: gilded, engraved, stippled; champlevé enamel; wood backing (modern); overall: 67.4 x 41.9 x 0.2 cm (26 9/16 x 16 1/2 x 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade, 1923.1051
collection
MED - Gothic
inscriptions
inscription
inscription on titulus: IHS XPS
citations
citation
W. M. M. “The Limoges Enamel Cross from the Spitzer Collection.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 11, no. 2 (February 1924): 30–33, 36-37.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 30-33; Reproduced: p. 36-37
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1925.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 14
citation
W. M. M., T. S., R. H., and F. A. W. “In Memoriam: Jeptha Homer Wade.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 13, no. 4 (April 1926): 63–91.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 74
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1928.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 16
citation
Milliken. William. "Objects from the Samuel Mather Collection." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>28, no. 3 (March 1941): 36-40.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 36
citation
Milliken, William. "Silver Jubilee Exhibition." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>28, no.6 (June 1941): 88-108
page_number
Mentioned: p. 90
citation
Milliken, William. "Four Champlevé Enamel Panels." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>38, no. 4 (April 1951): 72-74.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 72
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 113
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 47
citation
Wixom, William D. <em>Treasures from Medieval France</em>. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967.
page_number
Reproduced: p.108; mentioned: p.107
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 47
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 51
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein<em>. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 156-157, no. 53
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 263
citation
Phillips, Glenn, and J. Paul Getty Museum. Lumen : The Art and Science of Light, 800-1600. Edited by Kristen M. Collins and Nancy Turner. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2024.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 147, no. 92
creditline
Gift of J. H. Wade
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:38:51.831000
sourceId
104693
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Gothic
med
copper: gilded, engraved, stippled; champlevé enamel; wood backing (modern)
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
020a56ad5198b549