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Source Description
This elegant double-arm cross once contained fragments of four of the most important relics of Christ’s Passion, namely a portion of the True Cross, a piece of Christ’s sudarium (sweat cloth), and fragments of the reed staff and sponge used by Christ’s tormentors to mock him and give him vinegar for his thirst during the Crucifixion. The identity of these relics and their placement in the cross are indicated by open cavities on the reliquary’s front and accompanying Latin inscriptions on its back.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
151367
label
Double-Arm Reliquary Cross
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
151367
contentType
object
title
Double-Arm Reliquary Cross
description
This elegant double-arm cross once contained fragments of four of the most important relics of Christ’s Passion, namely a portion of the True Cross, a piece of Christ’s sudarium (sweat cloth), and fragments of the reed staff and sponge used by Christ’s tormentors to mock him and give him vinegar for his thirst during the Crucifixion. The identity of these relics and their placement in the cross are indicated by open cavities on the reliquary’s front and accompanying Latin inscriptions on its back.
date
c. 1100–1200
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60755651
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 10.5 x 5.3 x 1.5 cm (4 1/8 x 2 1/16 x 9/16 in.); Former: 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.)
cul
Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Gothic period, 12th century
accession
1983.208
Source extras
tec
gold
tombstone
Double-Arm Reliquary Cross, c. 1100–1200. Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Gothic period, 12th century. Gold; overall: 10.5 x 5.3 x 1.5 cm (4 1/8 x 2 1/16 x 9/16 in.); former: 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1983.208
collection
MED - Gothic
inscriptions
inscription
inscribed on center front: ECE: LIGNUM: VIVI: CRUCIS: FICE; at base: SUDARIUM DEI; at each end of main arm: ARUNDO DEI SPONGIA DEI. (Behold the Glorius Wood of the Living Cross: Sudarium of the Lord: Staff of the Lord: Sponge of the Lord).
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. “Year in Review for 1983.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 71, no. 2 (February 1984): 38–79.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 68, no. 11
citation
Bagnoli, Martina. <em>Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. no. 47, p. 89
citation
Boehm, Barbara Drake and Melanie Holcomb. , et al. <em>Jerusalem, 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven.</em> NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016.
page_number
Mention: pp. 57-62 Reproduced: p. 57, fig. 25c
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:49:07.391000
sourceId
151367
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Gothic
med
gold
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
799b6d8f7f7218ba