The Arts and Crafts of Older Spain, Volume 3 (of 3)Williams, Leonard
History
The Arts and Crafts of Older Spain, Volume 3 (of 3)
Williams, Leonard
Decorative arts -- Spain -- History
Specimens of this work are in the British and Cluny Museums, and in the
Archæological Museum at Madrid. An interesting jet figure of the apostle
on horseback belonged to the late Count of Valencia de Don Juan. Jet
processional crosses (twelfth and thirteenth century), studded with
enamel, and which were used at funerals, are preserved in the cathedrals
of Oviedo and Orense. Rings, rosaries, and amulets were also carved from
this material.
As to Spanish processional crosses generally (the use of which was
undoubtedly borrowed from the standard borne at the head of pagan
armies), I may say that they are commonly fitted with a handle, called
the _cruz baja_ or "lower cross," though sometimes this handle is
dispensed with, as, for instance, at the funerals of infants. According
to Villa-amil y Castro, the typical shape of the Spanish processional
cross has always been that denominated the _immissa_, consisting of four
arms terminating in straight edges. The same authority says that within
this broader definition the primitive form was the Greek cross, that is,
having four arms of equal length. Another early form was the "Oviedo"
cross (see Vol. I., Plate II.), with the four arms in the shape of
trapezia, united at the centre by a disc. Of this latter shape are, or
were, the crosses of Guarrazar and those which were presented by Alfonso
the Second and Alfonso the Third to the cathedrals of Oviedo and
Santiago.
A later form was the _potenzada_ cross, which had a cross-piece fixed at
the extremity of each arm. As time advanced, this T-shaped termination
to the arms assumed such decorative and capricious forms as the trefoil
and the fleur-de-lis. Early in the history of the Spanish church the
processional cross consisted often of a wooden core, covered with more
or less profusely ornamented silver plates, and having, between the
handle and the upper part, an enamelled bulb or _n[oe]ud_. The image of
Christ, converting the cross into the crucifix, was not attached until a
later period, because, as Villa-amil y Castro has remarked, the
primitive Christians considered the essential glory of their faith,
rather than, as yet, the perils and the pains to which they were exposed
by clinging to that faith. The cross was thus the symbol of the
Christian's glory; the crucifix, of his suffering.[60]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account