Neck Cross

Creator

Preview

Geography

Ethiopia, Africa

Culture

Ethiopian

Medium

Metal alloy

Dimensions

2 ⁵/₈ ✕ 1 ⁵/₈ ✕ ¹/₃₂ in. (6.6 ✕ 4.1 ✕ 0.1 cm)

0.49 oz. (13.8 g)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.33

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris from the African Gallery in San Francisco on November 26, 1977.

Condition

There is no visible damage.

References

Brad Hostetler, and Lynn Jones, eds., Ethiopian Objects in the Blick-Harris Study Collection: Art, Context, and the Persistence of Form, Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture 8, no. 1 (Spring 2022): pp. 5–25, 112–27, 134–35, cat. 15. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/

Description

Intricate interlacing knotwork fills this cross. The deep, delicate nature of the incision work calls attention to the X-shaped negative space at the center, which is further articulated when suspended and light is allowed to stream through. At the upper end of the cross is a box-like element enclosing a four-lobed knot. The upper and lower ends of this box extend beyond the width of the vertical arm; a short projection extends from the middle of the left and right ends of the box. Short projections also extend from the left and right edges of the lower arm. Semicircular finials attached to the left, right, and lower arms of the cross are incised with a square and an interior “X.” Side 1 is differentiated from side 2 by the increased incised detail of the interwoven latticework on the interior of the body of the cross and in the boxed-in section near the suspension loop. Two additional incised lines on the threads of side 1 give a sense of movement and of a woven texture to the decoration.