A rare Jerusalem devotional cross - image-1

Lot 627 D‡α

A rare Jerusalem devotional cross

Auction 1107 - overview Cologne
15.05.2018, 11:00 - Decorative Arts
Estimate: 6.000 € - 8.000 €
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A rare Jerusalem devotional cross

Ebonised olive wood with mother-of-pearl and bone inlays. Solid pyramid form base carved to the front with a depiction of the stigmatisation of Saint Francis. The sides decorated with inlaid flowerhead motifs. The sides and back of the tall narrow crucifix similarly inlaid, the front edges highlighted with bone inlay borders surrounding the Corpus Christi beneath the INRI plaque, half-figure depictions of the Evangelists, and Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows below, surrounded by the instruments of the passion. H 72 cm.
Holy Land, 17th / 18th C.

Crosses like these were made by Syrian craftsmen commissioned by the Franciscan monks with the Custody of the Holy Land as souvenirs for pilgrims. The solid base of the cross symbolises Mouth Calgary, the hill of the Crucifixion. The earliest crosses of this kind originate from the 17th century and are characterised by their rich and detailed engraved inlays.

Literature

Cf. Yidi Daccarett, El arte palestino de tallar el nácar, Bogotá 2005, p. 40 ff.
The depiction of Saint Francis is probably based on an engraving by Lucas Vosterman after a motif by Rubens (cf. Victoria and Albert Museum London, Sammlung online, mus.no. DYCE.2208).