Terms and conditions of use
Processional cross
(1330s)
Medium
tempera and gold leaf on wood
Measurements
43.0 × 37.5 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1960
Gallery location
14th - 16th Century Gallery - Painting & Decorative Arts
Level 1, NGV International
About this work
Throughout the medieval period, ornate and painted crosses were carried during Christian processions. Crosses to be carried, rather for display, were typically decorated on both sides, oftentimes showing the crucified Jesus dead on one side and alive on the other. Evoking Jesus’s pain and triumph over death simultaneously, crosses such as this encapsulated the central Christian message: faith in God ensures deliverance from suffering and resurrection to eternal life. This interpretation of the cross as life-giving is underscored here in the leaf-like ornamentation of the carved, gilded wood. The strikingly realistic and tender representations of Jesus, and the small size of the cross itself, suggest that this piece was made in Florence during the fourteenth century for use in an intimate setting.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Florence, Italy
Accession Number
170-D5
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Religion and Mythology
Subjects (specific)
crosses (visual works) crucifixes Crucifixion of Christ (New Testament narrative) crucifixions Jesus Christ (Christian character) processional crosses
Provenance
Collection of Charles F. Worel, London by 1960 from whom acquired for the Felton Bequest on the advice of A.J.L. McDonnell, 1960.