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The "Spitzer Cross"

Master of the Royal Plantagenet Workshop (French)c. 1190

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

This fine enameled cross is named the "Spitzer Cross" after the Viennese art dealer and collector Baron Frédéric Spitzer, who owned it in the 19th century. It has justly been hailed as the finest Limoges enameled cross to survive. The work’s coloration exemplifies its refined craftsmanship. Rendered in white enamel, with fine lines defining the rib cage, abdomen, and muscles, Christ’s body contrasts strikingly with the vibrant green, blue, and yellow of his halo, loincloth, and the cross.

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  • Title: The "Spitzer Cross"
  • Creator: Master of the Royal Plantagenet Workshop (French)
  • Date Created: c. 1190
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 67.4 x 41.9 x 0.2 cm (26 9/16 x 16 1/2 x 1/16 in.)
  • Provenance: B. Meyers; Frederic Spitzer, Paris (his sale, Paul Chevalier, Paris, 17 April - 16 June 1893, lot 228); (Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York).
  • Type: Enamel
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1923.1051
  • Medium: copper: gilded, engraved, stippled; champlevé enamel
  • Inscriptions: inscription on titulus: IHS XPS
  • Department: Medieval Art
  • Culture: France, Limoges, Gothic period, 12th century
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. H. Wade
  • Collection: MED - Gothic
  • Accession Number: 1923.1051
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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