Reliquary cross

Unknown

1586 · Gold, partly enameled, set with rock crystal · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The cult of relics was an integral part of Catholic devotion from early in the Christian era. Relics of the Passion of Christ (the events leading up to the Crucifixion), as well as those associated with numerous saints and martyrs, were prized by churches and pious individuals throughout western Europe and Byzantium. Believers in the miraculous power of relics promoted a sumptuous form of artwork by commissioning resplendent cases to surround the often miniscule fragments. Sometimes the framework would echo the source of the relic (an arm, a foot, a head). In other instances, relics were preserved in containers of more traditional form.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1586

Medium

Gold, partly enameled, set with rock crystal

Culture

probably Southern German

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917