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Support for a cross in the form of a church
Byzantine
Middle Byzantine Period
11th–12th century
Medium/Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
Height: 32 cm (12 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Seth K. Sweetser Fund
Accession Number63.789
CollectionsEurope, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Catalogue Raisonné
Greek, Etruscan, & Roman Bronzes (MFA), no. 645; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 127 (additional published references).
DescriptionA base for a portable cross that is made in the form of a Middle Byzantine church (cross in square plan). The openwork bronze shows a cubical building that rises to a cruciform from which a tall dome drum projects. The handle is hollow, probably to fit over a wooden staff. It would have served as the base for a processional cross used in a variety of liturgical contexts.
The partially damaged base for a processional cross is missing one of its four nearly identical façades, including a large cross; also missing is another large cross from the adjacent ground-story arcade.
The partially damaged base for a processional cross is missing one of its four nearly identical façades, including a large cross; also missing is another large cross from the adjacent ground-story arcade.
ProvenanceBy 1963: with Robert E. Hecht, Jr. (said to have been found in Istanbul); purchased by MFA from Robert E. Hecht, Jr., June 19, 1963