Neck Cross

Creator

Preview

Geography

Ethiopia, Africa

Culture

Ethiopian

Medium

Metal alloy

Dimensions

1 ⁵/₁₆ ✕ 1 ¹/₈ ✕ ¹/₁₆ in. (3.3 ✕ 2.8 ✕ 0.2 cm)

0.13 oz. (3.6 g)

Credit Line

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

Accession Number

2020.38

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris from the Guthaim Gallery Inc. in New York on October 23, 1978.

Condition

The rope-like decoration on the upper arm of side 1 is worn down.

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, 139–40, cat. 20. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/

Description

This cross has arms of equal length that are narrowest in the center and flare outward, ending in rounded edges that are articulated by applied globules — two on the upper arm and three on the other arms. Circular bosses are applied on each arm and at the crossing of side 1. A single strand of rope-like wire extends from the center, circular boss and wraps twice around those on the arms. Side 2 is undecorated and displays a slightly different profile than that of side 1. The applied globules makes the edges of each arm appear straighter on side 2, giving them a pointed, rather than a rounded, profile. A raised diamond-shaped panel is affixed at the crossing of this side.

Sarah Mathiesen, in Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture 8, no. 1 (Spring 2022): 139. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/