Description: Bronze reliquary cross (front half); 8th-11th century AD. Christ with arms upraised "Orans", wearing long robes.

Diameter: 62 x 34 mm

Weight: 17 g

Grade: -

Attribution: -

Commentary: green patina, scratch on the front

History: Reliquary crosses of this type were constructed of two parts: a decorated front half with an image of a saint, Christ on the cross or the Virgin Mary, and a frequently plain back half, with a hinge for closure and hollow space inside, all suspended from a loop; they were intended to carry secondary relics, such as soil from a special place of pilgrimage.

Article Number: 111-01-11-41652