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The Treasury of Basel Cathedral
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Sunday Cross, 1450–75
Basel
Raised, cast, chased, and gilded silver, with rock-crystal cabochons, glass, glass doublets with silver foil, and garnet, amethyst, sapphire, carnelian, flourite, and citrine; 19 5/8 in. (49.8 cm)
Römisch-Katholische Kirche Basel-Stadt (Sankt Clara)
Description |
Description
The brilliant colors of the gems, the limpid translucency of the crystal cabochons, the layers of adornment, and the varied surface treatments of the gilded silver combine to endow this cross with an exceptional volumetric presence and a shimmering play of light. The cross is striking for its obvious dependence on the Heinrich Cross. Many of the alterations made to the Heinrich Cross over the centuries were codified in the Sunday Cross, such as the inclusion of a corpus and the necessary lengthening of the lower arm. The cross contains the relics of the sainted emperor Heinrich II and fragments of the True Cross, as does the Heinrich Cross, as well as relics of Saint Andrew. Like the Heinrich Cross, the Sunday Cross was fitted with a base to support it on the altar and a staff with which it could be carried in procession. In 1834 the government of Basel gave the Sunday Cross to the Catholic community of the city.
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