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

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

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