About this work
Ethiopian metal hand crosses are typically constructed from silver, brass, or iron that has been hammered into shape rather than cast using the lost-wax method.
Original catalogue wording
Ethiopian metal hand crosses are typically constructed from silver, brass, or iron that has been hammered into shape rather than cast using the lost-wax method. These objects draw their formal inspiration from processional crosses, and their creators often imitated styles that had been developed at great religious centers such as Lalibala. The formal relationship of the pierced hand cross to lattice work processional crosses is evident in the drilled holes of its body, an attempt to imitate the form of larger objects. Although their reliance on pre-existing models makes hand crosses difficult to date, these objects were an important means of transmitting local styles, particularly as they were designed to be portable. The Commons file page gives the source as: Walters Art Museum : Home page Info about artwork.
Source classification: Crosses
- Date
- Not recorded in the catalogue
- Object type
- Crosses & liturgical metalwork
- Recorded place
- Ethiopia
- Holding institution
- Wikimedia Commons