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Altar Cross

A work made of silver gilt over a wooden core; foot: copper gilt.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver gilt over a wooden core; foot: copper gilt.

Date:

c. 1325; foot: 15th century

Artist:

German, probably Brunswick (Braunschweig)

About this artwork

This silver-gilt cross with the figure of the crucified Christ was meant to be placed on an altar. Each arm of the cross terminates with a roundel containing the symbols of the four Evangelists: the angel for Saint Matthew, the lion for Saint Mark, the ox for Saint Luke, and the eagle for Saint John the Evangelist. These four images were cast from the same molds used for the Evangelist symbols that decorate a silver book cover made for a liturgical manuscript written in 1326, now housed in the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin. This reuse of molds provides valuable insight into workshop practices under the patronage of Otto the Mild, Duke of Saxony (r. 1318–46).

Status

On View, Gallery 236

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Title

Altar Cross

Place

Brunswick (Object found 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.

1320–1330

Medium

Silver gilt over a wooden core; foot: copper gilt

Dimensions

H.: 19.7 cm (7 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Antiquarian Society

Reference Number

1931.263

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/8254/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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