Gold reliquary cross with the Instruments of the Passion reserved on black enamel, Italian, ca. 1600

Gold cross with black enamel. Decorated with the Instuments of the Passion on black enamel.The cross opens to reveal a set of comparments containing relics of the Apostles Peter and Paul , of the Virgin's milk and a fragment of the true Cross. Each is identified by an inscription engraved in Italian on the underside of the lid.

Given by Miss L.M. Pacy

The wearing of crosses of all types, gemmed, enamelled or nielloed with religious symbols or decorative designs was common across Europe throughout the 16th century. Some were solid and others, such as the present example, were hollow to contain relics. Some contained a single relic, others as with the present example contained a multiplicity of relics all kept together. An early example of a multi-relic pendant cross is that ordered from Jacopo a Trezzo in 1572 for Charles V's daughter Juana of Austria -also gold with black enamel. Reliquary pendants would have been worn for their apotropaic properties, protecting the wearer from sickness, or even death.The presence of the instruments of the passion would have been regarded as restorative as well as protective. An inscription found inside a gold ring , known as the Coventry ring, currently in the British Museum, which dates to ca. 1500, indicates the belief that the cross and the instruments of the passion possessed medicinal powers. The present cross which would have contained a piece of the True Cross.
A similar cross to the present example can be seen in a portrait of Sir Brian Tuke by Hans Holbein the Younger now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. In his portrait the cross is hung from a thick gold-link chain worn over his shoulders. Tuke suffered from the sweating sickness and his pendant cross may have been related to the malady. The cross in the portrait lies on Tuke's chest and the object's proximity to the body was important for its role in protecting physical health.
The church rewarded the commemoration of the passion with indulgences. A manuscript from 1320 in the Bibliotechque Royale in Brussels (Ms.4459-70) promises forty days indulgence for "commemoratione passionis de armorum ihesu christi". The commissioning and wearing of such a cross would have presumably been a fitting commemorative act, worthy of indulgences.
The cult of subjects such as Christ's wounds, and the instruments of the Passion dates as far back as the 12th century, when for example, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who was often depicted with the instruments of the Passion, recommended that they be a focus of meditation. The present cross may well have served as a reminder of Christ's suffering for medative purposes during acts of private devotion.
The cross would have been a costly object; made of gold, it also required considerable craftsmanship in the enameling process. Such an expensive cross would undoubtedly have been a status symbol, just as that in the portrait of Tuke suspended over his richly be-furred torso is for display.

Holy relics were believed to have power that protected the wearer if worn close to the body. This cross has compartments with drops of the Virgin's milk, relics from saints Peter and Paul and a fragment of the True Cross, each identified by an engraved inscription on the underside of the lid. It would have been worn as a pendant.

M.77-1979