Reliquary Cross (The Cloisters)

The Reliquary Cross is a small (29.8 × 12.5 cm) French metalwork sculpture dated c. 1180, now in The Cloisters museum in New York.

The reliquary cross is double armed, and made from silver gilt, crystal, beading and twisted wire, with embossed rosettes and a wood core.

[2] It is heavily engraved with lettering, and studded on both sides with more than 60 individual glass cabochons (faux coloured gemstones).

These closely resemble similar gems of the "Chasse of Ambaza", another renowned Limoges reliquary,[4] while the oddly place inscriptions are also a feature of contemporary sculpture of the region.

[5] The gemstones are probably intended as particular mementos for the region, to signify the devotion of local churchmen and nobility to the Holy Land.

Reliquary Cross , front view with reliquary plaque. 29.8 × 12.5 × 2.5 cm (11.75 in high), The Cloisters , New York
Detail of the inscriptions "De calvarie" (underside, lower left arm) and "De nativitate dñi" (underside, lower right arm).
Detail of the reverse, side view