"[1][2] This meticulously crafted piece is considered one of the finest surviving examples of Limoges enamel from the Medieval period.

[2] Often referred to as Opus lemoviense (Limoges work), these enameled pieces were highly prized and commissioned internationally, resulting in their wide spread across Medieval Europe.

[1][2] The Abbey of Grandmont attracted the patronage of King Henry II of England (1154-1189) who donated large sums of money during his life and upon his death for expensive adornments including reliquaries and liturgical objects such as the Spitzer Cross.

The reverse pieces, now housed in private or museum collections, depicted symbols of the four evangelists, one each at the ends of the cross arms with a mandorla-encircled Christ at its center.

Called the Camino de Santiago today, the pilgrimage remains a popular spiritual endeavor for Christians worldwide.

[3] The cross was owned by Belgian Lieutenant-General B. Meyers, and then acquired by Viennese art collector and dealer Baron Frédéric Spitzer, for whom it is named.

[3] Despite these pleas, the majority of the collection was purchased by George Salting (1835-1909), a private collector from Australia who resided in London.

[7] It boasts a stunning array of colors, including dark blue, light blue, white, green, yellow, and red, with intricate details such as the texture of Christ's hair, clothing, halos, and angel wings, with repetitive patterns that have been meticulously crafted by a skilled hand.

[7] Christ is depicted in the middle with a rosy-white complexion, wearing a knee-length loincloth of deep blue with green and yellow detailing, and a halo adorned with rosettes.

[1][2] The dimensions of the cross are 67.4 x 41.9 cm, the largest recorded of this type and it contains two inscriptions: the Christogram "IHS" [IHSVS] (Jesus); "XPS" [XPISTVS] (Christus).