Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Cross base in the form of a church tower

On view

European Art

Cross base in the form of a church tower,

11th–12th century

Middle Byzantine, 843–1204
2008-52

Liturgy in the Byzantine Empire


With the rise of Christianity in the fourth century CE, devotional objects were crafted for the liturgical rites and spiritual practices of the Byzantine Empire, anchored in present-day Istanbul. As the Emperor Justinian I (482–565) accumulated wealth, territory, and power, theologians heightened the drama and spectacle of the liturgy to signal the central role of religion and faith in maintaining imperial order and expressing authority. To enhance the spiritual atmosphere when the sacramental Eucharist was presented to worshippers as the body of Christ, the Byzantine liturgy accommodated expansive and multisensory religious processions and rites. Censers filled with aromatic incense perfumed the church, and oil lamps and candles illuminated metal objects and gilded devotional images. Theologians generated analogies between the splendor and value of the luxurious materials used to create devotional objects and the purity of Christ. Images of the cross became a ubiquitous sign of Christ’s martyrdom and its promise of salvation for the faithful.

Information

Title
Cross base in the form of a church tower
Dates

11th–12th century

Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
h. 56.7 cm, w. (maximum) 13.8 cm (22 5/16 x 5 7/16 in.) base: h. 10.7 cm, diam. 7.4 cm (4 3/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund and Carl Otto von Kienbusch Jr., Memorial Collection, and matching funds provided by the Program in Hellenic Studies, with the support of the Stanley J. Seeger Hellenic Fund
Object Number
2008-52
Place Made

Constantinople, Asia Minor ?

Period
Middle Byzantine
Type
bronzes, metalwork, ceremonial objects, religious art
Materials
bronze
Subject
processions, crosses (motifs), chevrons, priests, tower (single built work), iconography, churches

Acquired by Phoenix Ancient Art from Lucien Viola, Geneva, in 2000/2001; acquired by the Museum in 2008.

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