French reliquary cross
Silver, silver gilt and rock crystal
Valenciennes, 1531
Maker's mark a tree
D : 18 x 13 cm
Literature:
Gents zilver in Laarne, 2009, n° 149, p. 253.
Description
The two sides of the cross must be read as a whole: on the obverse are 14 relics sealed under rock crystal cabochons, which are described on the reverse in two phylacteries. The text, with many abbreviations, is not easy to read but it is possible to understand that these relics consist of stone fragments related to the Passion of Christ, the Virgin and Saints Peter and Stephen.
