Title
Processional Cross
Generic classification
SilversmithingObject
CrossDate
ca. 1375-1400Century
Late 14th c.Cultural context / style
GothicDimensions
24 1/8 x 18 1/8 inProvenance
Possible origin in the province of Burgos (Burgos, Spain)Current location
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States)Inventory Number in Current Collection
36.134Object history
The origin of this processional cross is unknown, and there are no markings that reveal the name of its maker (Barrón, 1991). However, the morphology of the piece points to Burgos. This city became one of the most important centers of artistic production in all of Castile (Cruz Valdovinos, 1992; Barrón, 1994). Burgos was the creative hub for this type of processional cross, so it is likely that it came from there. Hildburgh believed that its origin should be sought in Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos), since "Silos was an active center for enamelled objects throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The techniques show that the crosses are similar to other enamelled objects produced in this area at the end of the fourteenth century" (Hildburgh, 1936).
This type evolved over time, with examples dating from the early 14th century to the 1520s (Taburet-Delahaye, 1989; Barrón, 1998). Among the preserved processional crosses that follow this model are those of Santa Cruz del Tozo, Rebolledo de la Torre, Lodoso, Quintanilla de las Viñas, Ura, Santibáñez de Esgueva, and the Burgos Museum. Also worth mentioning are a mid-14th-century cross preserved by the Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia) and another that was auctioned at Sotheby's in 2020. The latter piece bears great similarities to this one, suggesting that they may have been made in the same workshop. This processional cross should therefore be dated to the late 14th century.
It is not known when or how it was sold, but at the beginning of the 20th century it was in the collection of Herbert Shipman, Bishop of New York. In 1936, his daughter Julie Shipman sold the collection to The American Art Association, and the piece was auctioned in November as lot 401. That same year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York purchased it, where it is currently kept.
Description
The cross follows the Latin model. At the top, a fleur-de-lis tops one of the arms, while an angel appears among the clouds to witness the scene. Christ occupies the center of the composition: he is held by three nails and wears a cloth of purity. At his side, engraved and enameled (Linas, 1985) in blue, white, and red, are the two thieves. At the ends, the Virgin Mary and Saint John contemplate Jesus with despondency. Finally, at the bottom, Adam emerges from his tomb and makes a gesture of redemption. On the reverse side of the piece, theMaiestas Domini can be seen surrounded by the Tetramorph, composed of the lion, the bull, the eagle, and the angel.
Locations
XIVth c.
ca. 1930
private collection
Herbert Shipman, New York (United States) *
ca. 1936
ca. 1936 - present
Bibliography
- (1936): Gothic and Renaissance Art, Important K’Ang-Hsi Porcelains, French, Spanish, Italian Furniture…Property of Mrs. Herbert Shipman, removed from Her Residences at Newport, R.I., and The River House, New York, American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc, American Art Association, Nueva York.
- BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (1991): "El marcaje y los punzones de la platería burgalesa, 1360-1636", nº 8-9, Artigrama.
- BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (1998): La época dorada de la platería burgalesa, 1400-1600, Excma. Diputación de Burgos, Burgos.
- BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (1992): "La platería burgalesa, 1475-1600", nº 8, Artigrama: Revista del Departamento de Historia del Arte de la Universidad de Zaragoza.
- BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (1995): "Cruces burgalesas del siglo XV", nº 80, Boletín de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
- BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (1994): La platería burgalesa, 1475-1600, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza.
- CASTLE, Lynn P. (1991): Paths to Grace: A Selection of Medieval Illuminated Manuscript Leaves and Devotional Objects, Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, p. 74–75.
- CRUZ VALDOVINOS, José Manuel (1992): Platería en la época de los Reyes Católicos, Fundación Central Hispano, Madrid.
- HILDBURGH, Walter Leo (1936): Medieval Spanish enamels and their relation to the origin and the development of copper champlevé enamels of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Universidad de Londres, Londres, p. 124.
- LINAS, Charles de (1885): "Les crucifix champlevés polychromes, en plate peinture, et les crois émaillées", vol. 3, nº 28, Revue de l’Art Chrétien, pp. 466-468.
- MICKENBERG, David; CALDWELL, Susan, SZABO, George, HULTS, Linda y ROMANELLI, Susan (1985): Songs of Glory: Medieval Art from 900 to 1500, Oklahoma Museum of Art, Oklahoma, p. 177–179.
Record manager
Isabel Escalera FernándezCitation:
Isabel Escalera Fernández, "Processional Cross" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/501
Processional Cross
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
