Crosier

Upper end of the ecclesiastical staff part of a hexagonal barrel with protruding diamonds and an enamel surface, where the heraldic motif of the moon and papal insignia is repeated. The base of the shaft is formed by three polygonal shrine shapes, which goes up, unfurling into a scroll ending in a pedestal, on which the Annunciation group is arranged. The decorative enamel on two sides of the shaft are of particular note, with small circles depicting birds in different positions, rosettes and undulating stems. On the outside edge of the shaft is a line of leaves. According to the study of the mark the crosier was made in Avignon by a silversmith working for Pope Clement VI around 1342, and must have later been owned by Pope Benedict XIII, for whom it was altered around 1392. This alteration included the addition of the heraldic motif of the moon (based on the pope’s family name of Luna), Saint Peter’s keys and the tiara on the enamel around the base. There are several iconographic aspects highlighted in the symbolic interpretation of the piece. These include the Annunciation group, as the chapter that begins the story of Salvation preached by the pope, and the shaft that represents the staff of Aaron, prefiguring the Virgin Mary.