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Source Description
This remarkable object, meant to be carried in religious processions within a great church, is an example of the high level of skill achieved by 15th-century Italian silversmiths. The cross was made from hammered, chased, and gilded sheets of silver attached to a wooden core. The figures are made in repoussé, a technique of hammering the silver from beneath to create a design. On the front of the cross is the figure of Christ flanked by the seated Virgin and Saint John, with God the Father blessing from above. The back of the cross includes the figure of Christ in Majesty at the center, with the Evangelists at the end of each arm.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
108537
label
Processional Cross
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
108537
contentType
object
title
Processional Cross
description
This remarkable object, meant to be carried in religious processions within a great church, is an example of the high level of skill achieved by 15th-century Italian silversmiths. The cross was made from hammered, chased, and gilded sheets of silver attached to a wooden core. The figures are made in repoussé, a technique of hammering the silver from beneath to create a design. On the front of the cross is the figure of Christ flanked by the seated Virgin and Saint John, with God the Father blessing from above. The back of the cross includes the figure of Christ in Majesty at the center, with the Evangelists at the end of each arm.
date
c. 1440–50
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60760071
creators
9545
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 72.7 x 61 x 12.7 cm (28 5/8 x 24 x 5 in.)
cul
Italy, The Marches, 15th century
accession
1926.243
Source extras
tec
silver, gilt-silver, and repoussé, over wood
tombstone
Processional Cross, c. 1440–50. Pietro Vannini (Italian, 1413/14–1495/96). Silver, gilt-silver, and repoussé, over wood; overall: 72.7 x 61 x 12.7 cm (28 5/8 x 24 x 5 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1926.243
collection
MED - Renaissance
citations
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Resplendent Faith: Liturgical Treasuries of the Middle Ages</em>. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2009.
page_number
Pg. 40, fig. 36
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. 275
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
galleryDonorText
Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Horvitz Gallery
updatedAt
2026-05-29 11:27:00.489000
sourceId
108537
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Renaissance
med
silver, gilt-silver, and repoussé, over wood
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
556bdbff625c9fba