Double-Arm Reliquary Cross
Unknown Artist
c. 1100–1200
Medium
gold
Dimensions
10.5 × 5.3 × 1.5 cm · former: h. 11.5 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1983.208
About this artwork
This elegant double-arm cross once contained fragments of four of the most important relics of Christ’s Passion, namely a portion of the True Cross, a piece of Christ’s sudarium (sweat cloth), and fragments of the reed staff and sponge used by Christ’s tormentors to mock him and give him vinegar for his thirst during the Crucifixion. The identity of these relics and their placement in the cross are indicated by open cavities on the reliquary’s front and accompanying Latin inscriptions on its bac...