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Source Description
The solid-cast body of Christ, whose head is surrounded by an engraved, cruciform halo, hangs on the cross between repoussé medallions of the Virgin (left) and St. John (right). Once covered by a rock crystal, the rectangle over Christ's head was designed to hold a relic, perhaps of the True Cross. An angel hovers above, and the skull of Adam appears at the bottom in a reference to man's redemption through the sacrifice of Christ. All four medallions are rimmed with battlemented borders like the stamped coins of the period. On the reverse of the cross is Christ in Majesty surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists.The simple but forceful rendering of Christ's head and upper torso gives the figure a sense of solemn, Romanesque monumentality which belies its small size.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
10615
label
Processional Cross
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
10615
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Processional Cross
description
The solid-cast body of Christ, whose head is surrounded by an engraved, cruciform halo, hangs on the cross between repoussé medallions of the Virgin (left) and St. John (right). Once covered by a rock crystal, the rectangle over Christ's head was designed to hold a relic, perhaps of the True Cross. An angel hovers above, and the skull of Adam appears at the bottom in a reference to man's redemption through the sacrifice of Christ. All four medallions are rimmed with battlemented borders like the stamped coins of the period. On the reverse of the cross is Christ in Majesty surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists.The simple but forceful rendering of Christ's head and upper torso gives the figure a sense of solemn, Romanesque monumentality which belies its small size.
provenance
Acquired from Henri Daguerre, Paris before 1931
date
mid 12th century (Romanesque)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
crosses (objects)
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
41.9
height
21.3
depth
3.2
dimensionsRaw
H: 16 1/2 x W: 8 3/8 x D: 1 1/4 in. (41.9 x 21.3 x 3.2 cm)
Source extras
cul
Medieval European
med
gilded copper
creator_ids
6211
collection_ids
MED
exhibition_ids
246
2752
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
b20839016fad7207