Processional cross
date: label: Date
content: 14th-15th century
name: label: Maker
content: Ethiopian Orthodox
notes: label: Label Text
content: Christianity has a long history in Ethiopia, dating from its introduction in Aksum under the reign of King Azana in about A.D. 330. Its spread among the peoples of the highlands, and the arrival of nine monks from Syria toward the end of the fifth century, is said to have introduced monasticism to Ethiopia and to have contributed strongly to the production and use of liturgical objects.
label: Label Text
content: The cross is perhaps the most pervasive symbolic artifact. Every member of the clergy carries a cross at all times. The most beautiful and intricate are the processional crosses used in ceremonies and festivals throughout the liturgical calendar. They are mounted on long poles and sheltered by canopies and parasols of silk and velvet.
label: Label Text
content: This cross, dating from the 14th to 15th century, was cast in one piece from a copper alloy. Later crosses, for which the favored material was brass, typically have separate arms and shafts joined with rivets. This cross has a design characteristic of those found in the monolithic churches at Lalibela in North Central Ethiopia. The overall shape is circular, finished with a fringe of triangles. The interior portion is composed of Latin crosses within crosses.
label: Description
content: Cast copper alloy cross with a central four-cross openwork design encircled by openwork triangular patterns. A hollow tubular shaft would have fit over the end of a pole to be carried aloft during religious processionals.
label: Provenance
content: Rémy Audouin collection, Paris, 1980 to 1997
label: Exhibition History
content: Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing
label: Published References
content: Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 2012. African Cosmos: Stellar Arts. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Monacelli Press, p. 165, no. 8.8.
label: Published References
content: National Museum of African Art. 1999. Selected Works from the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 159, no. 115.
label: Content Statement
content: As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
label: Image Requests
content: High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
place: label: Geography
content: Ethiopia
topic: label: Topic
content: Male use
label: Topic
content: cross
label: Topic
content: male
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
label: Exhibition
content: Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts
label: On View
content: NMAfA, Second Level Gallery (2193)
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Museum purchase
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 97-19-1
objectType: label: Type
content: Sculpture
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Copper alloy
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 30.9 x 23.2 x 2.5 cm (12 3/16 x 9 1/8 x 1 in.)