Byzantine, possibly Constantinople, 10th / 12th century
Processional Cross
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 EUR
Lot Details
Description
Byzantine, possibly Constantinople, 10th / 12th century
Processional Cross
engraved brass
71 by 38.1cm.; 28 by 15in.
flat Latin cross, with arms flaring outwards with disc-shaped finials, engraved with rosettes, stylised palmettes and geometric friezes, the inscription ‘MHXHɅ’ engraved on the lower vertical arm, a glass medallion mounted at the intersection of the arms of the cross and a small cross in relief on the back, with six small holes on the lower edge of the horizontal arm for the pendilia.
The present example is comparable to two other Byzantine processional crosses, one engraved with a bust of Saint Basil and his name, the other with the name of Saint Anastasia, both in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (inv. 1980.3 & inv. 1986.3; cf. D. Buckton, op. cit., pp. 159-60). Among other comparable crosses, one can also mention the one dedicated to Saint Peter, located in the Kanellopoulos Museum, Athens.
RELATED LITERATURE
D. Buckton, Byzantium. Treasures Of Byzantine Art And Culture, London, 1995, pp. 148-49, no. 161 & pp. 159-160, no. 175 ;
The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843–1261, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1997, p. 58.
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