Altar Cross

third quarter 12th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This cross and its base are characteristic of twelfth-century Hildesheim workshops in their form and ornamentation, though the cylindrical piece that connects them, and perhaps the entire arrangement, is much later in date. The base stands on three lion’s paws entwined with tendrils and dragons. The crucifix, held in the mouth of a lion, depicts a weightless, open-eyed Christ. A fifteenth-century inscription on the back mentions relics that were probably kept in a hollow in the figure.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Altar Cross
  • Date: third quarter 12th century
  • Culture: German (Hildesheim)
  • Medium: Copper alloy, cast and engraved, with modern gilding and rock crystal
  • Dimensions: Overall: 11 7/16 x 5 in. (29 x 12.7 cm); H. Corpus: 4 3/16 in. (10.6 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Copper alloy
  • Credit Line: Dom-Museum Hildesheim (DS 12)
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters