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Gallery Text

Some of the most precious and finely wrought objects of the Middle Ages were made for use in the liturgical service of the church. Crosses and censers were carried in procession, while reliquaries, caskets, and shrines held the remains of saints or objects associated with them. Because of the sacred function of these objects, they were made of the most valuable materials available: ivory, bronze, enamel, rock crystal, and gold. Through their hallowed contents or their liturgical function, these objects provided access to the divine, yet they were also displays of wealth and craftsmanship. Censers and vessels were cast in bronze, while other objects, such as caskets and reliquaries, were assembled from a wooden core and covered with ivory, enamel, and gilded metal. Often, if such costly materials were out of reach, wood or other modest materials were painted and gilded to resemble them.

This double-sided cross would have been carried in church processions and, during Mass, placed on or near the altar. Made of wood, it is covered with stamped gold leaf to create the textures and patterns common to gilded and engraved metal objects. At the foot of the cross stands Saint Francis, recognizable by his brown robe. Francis, who died in 1226, was the founder of the Franciscan order of monks, known for its embrace of poverty and commitment to preaching to the people. Since Francis received the stigmata for his identification with Christ’s Crucifixion, the order was particularly devoted to the cross. The image of Saint Francis and of the Franciscan saint Louis of Toulouse on the reverse suggests that the cross was made for a Franciscan community.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1970.59
People
Luca di Tommè, Italian (1356 - 1389)
Title
Portable Cross; obverse: Crucified Christ with Virgin, Saints John the Evangelist and Francis; reverse: Crucified Christ with Saints Michael, Paul, Peter, and Louis of Toulouse
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1365
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Italy, Tuscany, Siena
Culture
Italian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/227905

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2440, Medieval Art
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Tempera, silver, and gold on panel with rock crystal
Dimensions
63.5 x 36.2 cm (25 x 14 1/4 in.)
base depth: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Mrs. Jesse Isidor Straus
Accession Year
1970
Object Number
1970.59
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), no. 163, p. 145, repr.
  • Edgar Peters Bowron, European Paintings Before 1900 in the Fogg Art Museum: A Summary Catalogue including Paintings in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 1990)
  • Pia Palladino, Art and Devotion in Siena after 1350, exh. cat., Timken Museum of Art (San Diego, CA, 1997), p. 25, Pl.s 3a&3b, color repro.
  • Alan Chong and Giovanna De Appolonia, The art of the cross: Medieval & Renaissance piety in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, exh. cat., Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, MA, 2001), no. 7, pp. 70-72, repr. in color

Exhibition History

  • The art of the cross : Medieval & Renaissance piety in the Isabella Stewart Gard, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, 02/02/2001 - 04/29/2001
  • 32Q: 2440 Medieval, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Related Objects

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu