Processional cross ·  Ethiopia · ID: 3036821

Description

silver alloy, bipartite, the spout for insertion of the wooden pole for support cast separately, the corpus of the cross worked in filigree openwork design, on both sides decorated with engraved ornaments, rep. (breakages), small missing parts, slight traces of corrosion, base;
processional crosses are mounted on shafts and carried above people’s heads in sacred festivals and sometimes in liturgy. Processional crosses were cast as single pieces by the lost-wax method, which is why each object is unique. The cross is dressed when presented in public - the holes flanking the shaft are designed to receive a piece of colourful cloth.

Comparing literature

Fisseha, Girma, Äthiopien - Kunst und Geschichte eines Landes, München 1988, p. 15