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Cross

A work made of copper, bronze, and brass.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of copper, bronze, and brass.

Date:

Mid–/late 15th century

Artist:

Central Ethiopia
Eastern and Southern Africa

About this artwork

In Ethiopian Christianity processional crosses in wood or metal are carried on tall wooden staffs and draped with rich fabrics during festivals and ceremonies. The blank area in the center of this example, which incorporates copper for the decorative finial, bronze for the shaft, and brass for the joining rivets, may have been intended for an image that was never realized. The stylized bird heads on the sides of the shaft are a symbol of Christ’s resurrection.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Title

Cross

Place

Ethiopia (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1450–1499

Medium

Copper, bronze, and brass

Dimensions

36.9 × 22.9 cm (14 1/2 × 9 in.)

Credit Line

Wirt D. Walker Fund

Reference Number

2006.12

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/186387/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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