Publication Place
-
National Museum of Ancient Art
Subject
Engraved and gilded brass.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
العلو: 36 سم؛ العرض: 37 سم؛ الوزن: 1814.2 غ
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
MNAA 64 Met
Record ID
object;ISL;pt;Mus01_C;17;ar
Library Location
National Museum of Ancient Art
Notes
A lily-shaped cross, with the leg and arms intersecting within a square, with a pressed ball knot and a tubular bunch forming a handle. The decorations on the cross take the form of a continuous band, wrapping around the entire perimeter of the piece, defining within it a band of rhombuses and triangles filled with geometric and floral shapes. Four shapes are drawn on the corners of the square, where the center of the cross is located, consisting of eight leaves. The back area of the cross is also outlined with a ribbon, while the legs and arms of the cross are filled with geometric interlacing, inspired by plants. In the center is a large circle decorated with complex geometric interlacing, from which other centers form the most clearly Islamic element in the decoration of the cross. The decorations, as well as the source of the metal, which may be North African, suggest that the piece is the work of an artist whose origins go back to the Muslim community residing in the peninsula, and who, regardless of his religion, was working in the service of the Christian kingdoms of Iberia. This type of cross had a dual function; It can be raised at the head of processions and funerals, but when it is installed on a base, it can become an element of the religious ritual equipment in the altar.
Sample Text
Joaquim Oliveira Caetano “Processional Cross” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;pt;Mus01_C;17;ar
