The Cloisters Cross: Its Art and Meaning

Parker, Elizabeth C., and Charles T. Little (1994)

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Description

The walrus-ivory Cloisters Cross, a masterpiece of English Romanesque art, has long been a centerpiece of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cloisters collection, a separate museum in Fort Tryon Park (New York City) devoted exclusively to the art of the Middle Ages. In fact, ever since its acquisition in 1963, the cross has been the subject of speculation and mystery. The dearth of solid information about its provenance prior to its ownership by a Yugoslav art dealer and restorer has generated a number of tantalizing theories as to its origin, function, and early history, although no one has denied the exceptional quality of its workmanship or the unparalleled complexity of its design. The story of the cross's creation, survival, and meaning is explored in this fascinating book. Of special interest is the sheer number of figures that populate the compact scenes on both sides of the cross, and of biblical passages diligently inscribed on individual scrolls held by Old Testament prophets across its surface. The cross is a tour de force of sculptural artistry, which holds within its small physical scope an iconographic encyclopedia of learning almost unmatched in Medieval Art. This comprehensive study is addressed to the genuinely curious visitor to the Cloisters collection, as well as to the specialized scholar. The authors have included a systematic description of the intricate construction of the cross and an analysis of every detail of its carving. They offer substantial new insights to the findings of previous scholarly research as to possible meanings and context, in terms of both the liturgy and the intellectual milieu of the twelfth century in which it has been placed. The attribution to the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds—the name by which the cross was first known—is discussed at length. In rich and exacting detail the authors reveal, as do the splendid new color photographs by Malcolm Varon, just how the Cloisters Cross, in its imagery and consummate workmanship, bears "witness to a level of erudition and artistry seldom seen in the twelfth century or later."

Table of contents

Foreword
William D. Wixom

Author's Preface

Chapter 1. Introduction: The Cross and Its History

The Material of the Cross and Its Date; The Construction and Carving of the Cross; The Missing Corpus; The Missing Terminal and the Caiaphas Plaque; The State of Research

Chapter 2. Word and Image: The Iconography of the Cross

The Front of the Cross—The Tree of Life; The Large Inscriptions; The Central Medallion: Moses and the Brazen Serpent; The Titulus, and the Dispute Between Pilate and Caiaphas; The Good Friday Plaque; The Easter Plaque; The Ascension Plaque; The Missing Terminal

The Back of the Cross—The Prophets; The Evangelist Symbols; The Allegory of the Agnus De; 'Rota in Medio Rotae'

Chapter 3. The Function of the Cloisters Cross

Early Observances and the Insular Tradition; The Cross as Agent of Salvation; The Transitional Character of the Cloisters Cross

Chapter 4. The Liturgical Context

The Liturgy for Holy Week—The Early Days of Holy Week; Good Friday; Holy Saturday; Easter Sunday

The Testimonia and the Liturgy—The Testimonia and the Central Medallions; The Testimonia and the 'Cham Ridet' Couplet; The Testimonia and the Titulus

Chapter 5. The Intellectual Setting

Anselm's Contribution—The Church and Judaism: Official Attitudes; Crispins 'Disputatio'; Anselm's Doctrine of Atonement; Penitence in Early Monastic Piety

The Victorine Contribution—St. Victor and Bible Studies; Hugh of St. Victor's Sacramental Theology; Hugh's Allegorical Vision of the Cross; The Tropological Vision of the Cross

Chapter 6. The Bury St. Edmunds Connection

Stylistic Evidence; Liturgical Evidence; The Identity of the Artist; The Artist as Scholar; Links to the Victorines; Links to St.-Denis

Chapter 7. Epilogue: The Place of the Cross in English Romanesque Art

Appendix I: The Inscriptions on the Cross

Appendix II: The Oslo Corpus

Notes to the Text
Bibliographic Abbreviations
Selected Bibliography of the Cloisters Cross
List of Illustrations of the Cloisters Cross
List of Comparative Images
General Index
Photograph Credits

About the authors

Elizabeth C. Parker is Professor of Art History, Fordham University, New York.

Charles T. Little is Curator of Medieval Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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