Crozier with Lamb of God
Unknown Artist
ca. 1360–1400
Medium
Bone with paint and gold
Dimensions
Overall: 61 x 9 9/16 x 2 7/16 in. (154.9 x 24.3 x 6.2 cm)
Classification
Ivories-Bone
Culture
North Italian
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1953
Accession Number
53.63.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite crozier, crafted by an unknown North Italian artist around 1360–1400, exemplifies the refined artistry of medieval ecclesiastical objects. Standing over five feet tall, it is carved from bone—a durable yet delicate medium prized for its ivory-like translucency—and adorned with traces of paint and gold leaf, which would have originally shimmered under candlelight in a cathedral. The crook at the top features the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), a Christian symbol of Christ's sacrificial purity, gazing serenely amid Gothic flourishes. As a bishop's staff, the crozier symbolized pastoral ...