Currently not on view
Processional cross,
13th century
Italian
y1955-3229
Processional crosses have been used since Early Christian times. They are carried in liturgical, religious, or civic processions. Such crosses can belong to con-gregations, members of the higher clergy and their entourages, or other groups of Christians such as confraternities, and are carried at the head of the procession. Elevated on long poles, the crosses can be detached and are sometimes used on altars.
Information
Title
Processional cross
Dates
13th century
Medium
Copper and wood
Dimensions
65.6 x 40.2 x 4.5 cm (25 13/16 x 15 13/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, gift of Carl Otto von Kienbusch, Class of 1906, for the Carl Otto von Kienbusch Jr., Memorial Collection
Object Number
y1955-3229
Place Made
Europe, Italy, Abruzzi
Culture
Period
Type
Subject
William Ellis Scull (1862-1942), Philadelphia; gift to The Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ, Philadelphia, by 1928 [1]. [Samuel T. Freeman, Philadelpha, “Rare Early American Furniture,” March 10, 1955, lot 768]; purchased by the Princeton University Art Museum.
[1] William Ellis Scull assembled a large collection of medieval liturgical implements to form a treasury for the Cathedral of Christ in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. It remains unbuilt except for the apse. Francis Henry Taylor, “A Collection of Liturgical Objects,” Pennsylvania Museum of Art Bulletin 24, 1928, 20-21.
