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.

The object Processional cross with the object ID 3036821 was last part of the auction 77th tribal art auction at June 28, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 538 achieved a sales price of EUR 800.

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Comparing literature

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