Post-Byzantine Cross

Object belonging

One's own

Category

Wood sculpture

City

Rome

Location

Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia

Specific location

Cabinet

Inventory

PV 01498

Material and technique

Sculpted and carved cornel

Author

Greek School

Dating

17th-18th century

Dimensions

16.5 x 8.4 x 2.6 cm.

Image copyright

SSPSAE e per il Polo Museale della città di Roma

Short description

This small cross on a pedestal, which came from the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo, depicts scenes from the life of Christ, carved on the cross. It is similar to other examples in various museums, some of which, like this version, stand on a simple pedestal while other, taller models, such as the Palazzo Venezia cross inv. PV 1497, are inserted into a base that is also carved with narrative scenes. The origins of these works, known as post-Byzantine crosses, are not obvious but they can be dated to Greece, or more broadly to the region of Orthodox practice, between the 17th and 19th centuries. It is very likely that these devotional objects were part of pilgrims’ accoutrements – those with a handle are blessing crosses. One of the oldest versions is in the church of S. M. delle Grazie in Mezzojuso (Palermo), which perhaps came from Mount Athos, and is made from boxwood (12 x 7 cm.) and can be dated to the late 17th century. Also worthy of note is the almost contemporaneous cross in the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo (13 x 7cm), made in Greece. A later cross, from the end of the 18th century, in the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan (11 x 7cm), which came from Jerusalem, is less precise in its execution; and preserved in a silver reliquary and dating from the second half of the 18th century is the cross in the Museo Gaffoglio in Rapallo (Genoa). Technical-scientific analysis carried out in 2009 by the IVALSA-CNR in Florence identified the wood used as cornel (Cornus mas L.).

Grazia Maria Fachechi 

Bibliography

Unpublished