Crucifix
Unknown Artist
ca. 1150
Medium
Champlevé enamel, copper-gilt
Dimensions
Overall (with tang): 10 1/8 x 5 5/8 x 3/16 in. (25.7 x 14.3 x 0.5 cm) Overall (without tang): 7 15/16 x 5 5/8 x 3/16 in. (20.2 x 14.3 x 0.5 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Champlevé
Culture
Spanish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George Blumenthal, 1941
Accession Number
41.100.154
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Crucifix*, crafted around 1150 by an unknown Spanish artist, captures the solemn intensity of medieval Christian devotion. Depicting Christ on the cross, it measures about 8 by 5 ½ inches (without its mounting tang), making it a portable devotional object likely used in processions, private prayer, or church altars. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art department as a gift from Blumenthal in 1, it exemplifies the artistry of Romanesque Spain, a period when religious icons bridged the earthly and divine. The work's medium—champlevé enamel on copper-gilt—is a ...