Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
Small glass plaques like this were often combined with plaques of painted wood and framed within elaborate architectural reliquaries or small altarpieces. The decorative technique, called verre églomisé, is a process in which the reverse side of a glass is gilded and then engraved with designs. The pelican, shown above the cross piercing its breast to feed its young, became a common symbol of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
149384
label
Plaque: The Crucifixion with Angels and Saints
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
149384
contentType
object
title
Plaque: The Crucifixion with Angels and Saints
description
Small glass plaques like this were often combined with plaques of painted wood and framed within elaborate architectural reliquaries or small altarpieces. The decorative technique, called verre églomisé, is a process in which the reverse side of a glass is gilded and then engraved with designs. The pelican, shown above the cross piercing its breast to feed its young, became a common symbol of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
date
c. 1400–1425
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60755813
genreSpecific
Glass
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 19.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 cm (7 5/8 x 3 11/16 x 3/16 in.)
cul
Northern Italy, Padua?, 15th century
accession
1978.41
Source extras
tec
verre églomisé (reverse gilded glass, engraved and painted)
tombstone
Plaque: The Crucifixion with Angels and Saints, c. 1400–1425. Northern Italy, Padua?, 15th century. Verre églomisé (reverse gilded glass, engraved and painted); overall: 19.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 cm (7 5/8 x 3 11/16 x 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1978.41
collection
MED - Gothic
inscriptions
inscription
the letters on the banderoles may be described as a composite script called Gothic majuscule, which intermingles Roman capitals and uncial alphabets. This script was especially favored by Italian artists for inscriptions in architecture, sculpture, panel painting, and manuscript illustrations during the 14th and 15th centuries. The banderole on the left reads: "POSVIT. ME. DESOLAT.[UM]" (God has forsaken me); the other banderole reads: "CRUS. DOMINI. MECUM" (the cross of the Lord is with me). A third inscription with the abbreviations for the words of Pilate--"I. N. R. I." (IESUS, NASARENUS RES IUDAEORUM), or Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" appears on the plaque (tabula ansata) at the top of the cross.
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, “The Cleveland Museum of Art Acquires Six Works from Von Hirsch Collection,” August 1, 1978, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
citation
Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1978.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 66, no. 1 (January 1979): 3–48.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 12; Mentioned: p. 42, no. 19
citation
Wixom, William D. “Eleven Additions to the Medieval Collection.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 66, no. 3 (Mar/Apr 1979): 87–151.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 139-143, fig. 100
citation
Cohen, Meredith. "The Bestiary beyond the Book." In <em>Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World</em>. Elizabeth Morrison and Larisa Grollemond, eds. pp. 177 - 225. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 202, cat. 52
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:41:27.128000
sourceId
149384
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Gothic
med
verre églomisé (reverse gilded glass, engraved and painted)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
870d91dbf4b45e81