Anonymous
Around 1600
Great processional cross, of unknown provenance, made by a workshop in Barcelona as is indicated by the identifying stamp, +BA in a rectangle, that appears repeatedly on the front and back of the cross and on the knot. This outstanding work is part of the continuation of the Gothic tradition by the Barcelona workshops around the last quarter of the 15th century and probably of the guidelines deriving from the Palau family lineage. Its fleur-de-lis patterned outline has a lateral frond of small vine leaves and mixed on the fleur-de-lis are lilies, pinecones and acanthus, while the arms are decorated with 'candelieri' of acanthus leaves and cauliculae between geometric motifs and spheres. The figures of Christ on the cross and the Virgin follow 16th-century models, with more or less movement, as do the stamped plates on the arms that specify the iconography of the Calvary on the front and the evangelists on the back. The knot, architectural, is structured like a hexagonal Gothic tower and has, in niches beneath canopies, between gargoyles of dragons, images of saints. Between them, six 'putti' are bearing the attributes of the Passion of Christ. The overall effect of this eclectic piece is one of exceptional beauty.
Room 19 , Floor 2
18 Leather
19 Gold, Silver and Metalworking Arts
20 Forge Work
21 Ceramics
22 Study Galleries
Barcelona
Around 1600
Silver cast, fretted, engraved, embossed and gilt
134 x 57 x 20 cm
Provenance unknown
MEV 11164