1240 - Processional cross with a wooden core covered in silver and gilded copper plates, Germany, first half of the 16th century.

Processional cross with a wooden core covered in silver and gilded copper plates, Germany, first half of the 16th century. Latin cross with Christ crucified in the quadrant, bearing the INRI inscription above him, still depicted as alive with three nails and a long, rigid loincloth, still in the Gothic tradition. The arms end in trefoils covered with gilded plates engraved with the Tetramorph. Each of the Evangelists has their name written in Latin, and it is precisely this script that provides the key to the cross’s Germanic origin, as we can read: “St. Johannes,” “Lucha,” “St. Matthew,” and “St. Marchus.” The cross is distinguished by the presence of large spheres at the ends of the arms. On the reverse, the only ornamentation consists again of those mixtilinear plates—transitional from Gothic to Renaissance—featuring simple engraved floral and vegetal decoration. It has a wooden base. Attached is the Declaration of Importation of Movable Goods of Spanish Historical Heritage. Dimensions: 71 x 46 cm Base: 27 cm