Relief with Scene from the Legend of the True Cross
Unknown Artist
ca. 1400
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
Overall: 15 13/16 x 13 1/16 x 5 9/16 in. (40.2 x 33.2 x 14.1 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Stone
Culture
South Netherlandish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1923
Accession Number
23.79.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This finely carved marble relief, created by an unknown South Netherlandish artist around 0, depicts a dramatic scene from the *Legend of the True Cross a beloved medieval tale centered on Saint Helena. As the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, Helena journeyed to Jerusalem in the 4th century to unearth the True Cross—the very instrument of Christ's crucifixion—along with the crosses of the two thieves. Such narratives, drawn from texts like Jacobus de Voragine's *Golden Legend fueled devotion across Europe, emphasizing themes of discovery, faith, and relic veneration. Hailing from the ...