Reliquary Cross

Italian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 306

The convex rock crystal at the center once sheltered and magnified a fragment of wood believed to be from the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The whole is sumptuously decorated with images of the life of Jesus on one side, and of saints linked to Saint Francis on the other. Many Franciscan communities in Italy commissioned works of art using translucent enamel, which shimmers like stained glass.

Reliquary Cross, Translucent enamel, silver, silver-gilt, rock crystal, glass, iron tang, Italian

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