Processional cross
Details
- Palette
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- Dimensions
- Overall: 21 3/4 × 12 3/4 in. (55.2 × 32.4 cm)
- Department
- European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
- Holding institution
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Image provider
- metropolitan-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Deities and Holy Figures Both · 98%
Christ is visibly represented on the central cross, and the museum lists Christ and Saints among the subjects.
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Saints Metadata · 84%
The museum explicitly lists Saints as a subject; several small figural panels are visible, although their individual identities cannot be established from the image alone.
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Bible Story Both · 95%
The museum lists Crucifixion and Last Supper among the subjects, while the image visibly presents multiple biblical figural scenes in the central panel and terminals.
Visual Qualities
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Symmetrical Visual · 99%
The cross has a strongly bilateral structure, with balanced horizontal arms, a centered vertical shaft, and corresponding rounded terminals.
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 99%
Gilt borders, repeated moldings, scrollwork, bead-like projections, and elaborate terminal ornament cover much of the visible surface.
Medium and Techniques
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Gold Leaf and Gilding Metadata · 96%
The medium description records partial gilding and traces of gilding; bright gold-toned areas are also clearly visible in the image.
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Relief Both · 90%
The central Christ figure and other figural elements project dimensionally from or within the dark panels, consistent with worked relief on a metal cross.
Time Periods
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15th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The museum dates the object to ca. 1460–80, placing it within the fifteenth century.
Materials
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Christian Art and Architecture Both · 97%
The crucified Christ, cross form, and surrounding sacred figural scenes establish a Christian devotional context, supported by the museum's subject classifications.
Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects
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Ceremonial Object Both · 99%
The museum classifies the work as a processional cross, and the image clearly shows a cross-shaped ceremonial object intended for religious use or display.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Processional cross. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.