Tau-Cross Head
ca. 1140 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A crosier is the pastoral staff conferred on bishops at their consecration. From around the 7th century in the Western church it was seen to be as much the insignia of pastoral office - the symbol of the Good Shepherd - as a sign of episcopal authority.
This piece originally formed the upper terminal of an ecclesiastical staff. The tau-cross form was used in England, both before and after the Norman conquest. In the Old Testament (Ezekiel 9,4) the mark of the Tau is a symbol of righteousness, and thus it is particularly suitable for marking high ecclesiastical office. A French twelfth-century tau-cross head in the V&A shows, on its underside, two ecclesiastics, one holding a single volute pastoral staff (shaped like the St Nicholas crozier 218-1865) the other holding a tau-cross staff. Both of these forms existed together for some time, but around the beginning of the thirteenth century the single volute form becomes more usual. Two other tau-cross fragments, one in the British Museum and another found in excavations at Battle Abbey, very close to each other in design and execution, show foliage that is related to that on the present example, but are of less complex form and would seem to be of the early twelfth century.
This piece represents a tour de force of walrus ivory carving. The skilful carving and intricacy of this ivory indicates, how high the standard of English carving was in the mid-twelfth century, although sadly only a small proportion of works has survived.
This piece originally formed the upper terminal of an ecclesiastical staff. The tau-cross form was used in England, both before and after the Norman conquest. In the Old Testament (Ezekiel 9,4) the mark of the Tau is a symbol of righteousness, and thus it is particularly suitable for marking high ecclesiastical office. A French twelfth-century tau-cross head in the V&A shows, on its underside, two ecclesiastics, one holding a single volute pastoral staff (shaped like the St Nicholas crozier 218-1865) the other holding a tau-cross staff. Both of these forms existed together for some time, but around the beginning of the thirteenth century the single volute form becomes more usual. Two other tau-cross fragments, one in the British Museum and another found in excavations at Battle Abbey, very close to each other in design and execution, show foliage that is related to that on the present example, but are of less complex form and would seem to be of the early twelfth century.
This piece represents a tour de force of walrus ivory carving. The skilful carving and intricacy of this ivory indicates, how high the standard of English carving was in the mid-twelfth century, although sadly only a small proportion of works has survived.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Walrus ivory |
| Brief description | Tau-cross head, walrus ivory, England (probably Winchester or Canterbury), ca. 1140 |
| Physical description | Walrus ivory head of a Tau Cross. On one side is the half-length figure of Christ blessing, a book in his left hand and with cruciform nimbus, shown within a foliate medallion at the centre. To the left is the Archangel Michael, holding a shield in his left hand and subduing at his feet a serpent-dragon which forms part of the volute of the tau-cross. On the right a young man wrestles with a similar creature, grasping its left ear and upper jaw in a desperate attempt to avoid being bitten. On the other side the three-quarter length Virgin with the Christ-Child is shown in a foliate medallion at the centre. The Child offers the Virgin a small fruit or orb with his right hand and holds another object, probably a scroll, with his left. On either side a man struggles with a serpent-dragon in an identical pose to the right-hand figure on the other side. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Object history | Said to have been in the Cathedral of Liège; collections of M. Piot and Baron de Crassier of Liege before 1715; purchased from Webb, 1871, £200. Historical significance: This piece represents a tour de force of walrus ivory carving. The skilful carving and intricacy of this ivory indicates, how high the standard of English carving was in the mid-twelfth century, although sadly only a small proportion of works has survived. |
| Historical context | A crosier is the pastoral staff conferred on bishops at their consecration. From around the 7th century in the Western church it was seen to be as much the insignia of pastoral office - the symbol of the Good Shepherd - as a sign of episcopal authority. This piece originally formed the upper terminal of an ecclesiastical staff. The tau-cross form was used in England, both before and after the Norman conquest. In the Old Testament (Ezekiel 9,4) the mark of the Tau is a symbol of righteousness, and thus it is particularly suitable for marking high ecclesiastical office. A French twelfth-century tau-cross head in the V&A shows, on its underside, two ecclesiastics, one holding a single volute pastoral staff (shaped like the St Nicholas crozier 218-1865) the other holding a tau-cross staff. Both of these forms existed together for some time, but around the beginning of the thirteenth century the single volute form becomes more usual. Two other tau-cross fragments, one in the British Museum and another found in excavations at Battle Abbey, very close to each other in design and execution, show foliage that is related to that on the present example, but are of less complex form and would seem to be of the early twelfth century. The fleshy, luxuriant foliage on the cross has been compared with that found on Winchester manuscripts of the mid-12th century. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | Ezekiel 9:4 And the Lord said to him: Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem: and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the midst thereof. Et dixit Dominus ad eum transi per mediam civitatem in medio Hierusalem et signa thau super frontes virorum gementium et dolentium super cunctis abominationibus quae fiunt in medio eius Thau, or Tau, is the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and signifies a sign, or a mark; which is the reason why some translators render this set a mark, or mark a mark without specifying what this mark was. But St. Jerome, and other interpreters, concluded that it was the form of the letter Thau, which in the ancient Hebrew character, was the form of a cross, but in the Greek was represented by a T. |
| Summary | A crosier is the pastoral staff conferred on bishops at their consecration. From around the 7th century in the Western church it was seen to be as much the insignia of pastoral office - the symbol of the Good Shepherd - as a sign of episcopal authority. This piece originally formed the upper terminal of an ecclesiastical staff. The tau-cross form was used in England, both before and after the Norman conquest. In the Old Testament (Ezekiel 9,4) the mark of the Tau is a symbol of righteousness, and thus it is particularly suitable for marking high ecclesiastical office. A French twelfth-century tau-cross head in the V&A shows, on its underside, two ecclesiastics, one holding a single volute pastoral staff (shaped like the St Nicholas crozier 218-1865) the other holding a tau-cross staff. Both of these forms existed together for some time, but around the beginning of the thirteenth century the single volute form becomes more usual. Two other tau-cross fragments, one in the British Museum and another found in excavations at Battle Abbey, very close to each other in design and execution, show foliage that is related to that on the present example, but are of less complex form and would seem to be of the early twelfth century. This piece represents a tour de force of walrus ivory carving. The skilful carving and intricacy of this ivory indicates, how high the standard of English carving was in the mid-twelfth century, although sadly only a small proportion of works has survived. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 371-1871 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 15, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
