Crucifix thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

Crucifix

Statuette
1680-1700 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Mother-of-pearl, jet coral and amber were selected by craftsmen for their beauty, durability and rarity. These materials often occurred in a particular geographical region. Coral for example was prevalent in Sicily and amber along the Baltic coast. Many of the religious items were portable, as were the small portraits. They were often made locally and then taken elsewhere. Pilgrims from all over Europe bought the jet images made in Santiago de Compostela.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCrucifix (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Amber and ivory reliefs on a wood core, with a silver-gilt halo
Brief description
Statuette on a crucifix on socle, amber with ivory reliefs set on mica backings, on a wooden core with a silver gilt halo, probably Danzig (modern Gdańsk), Royal Prussia, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ca. 1680-1700
Physical description
Statuette of a crucifix on socle, amber with ivory reliefs set on mica backings, on a wooden core with a silver gilt halo, with later plastic restorations. The ivory reliefs on the base show the 'Elevation of the Cross', the Last Supper, and the 'Deposition'. Like the figure of Christ, they are of meticulously finne quality.
Dimensions
  • Height: 66.7cm
  • Socle width: 30.6cm
  • Socle depth: 12.4cm
Subjects depicted
Summary
Mother-of-pearl, jet coral and amber were selected by craftsmen for their beauty, durability and rarity. These materials often occurred in a particular geographical region. Coral for example was prevalent in Sicily and amber along the Baltic coast. Many of the religious items were portable, as were the small portraits. They were often made locally and then taken elsewhere. Pilgrims from all over Europe bought the jet images made in Santiago de Compostela.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1856. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 9.
  • Trusted, Marjorie, ed. The Making of Sculpture. The Materials and Techniques of European Sculpture. London: 2007, p. 140, pl. 257.
Collection
Accession number
4064-1856

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Record createdAugust 25, 2004
Record URL
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