Decorative Collective - www.decorativecollective.com

Sellers's Details

CHRIS HOLMES ANTIQUES

Tel:

Email: [email protected]

https://www.decorativecollective.com/dealers/chris-holmes-antiques

Item Details

A rare and evocative devotional object from the late 15th century, Italian school, likely from the Lombardy-Venetian area.


This finely worked element from a processional cross is formed in gilded and engraved copper, centred by a wonderfully detailed gilded silver appliqué of Saint John the Evangelist. Shown seated in quiet contemplation, the figure is modelled in relief with sensitively rendered drapery and a gently inclined head, exuding both dignity and introspection.


The repoussé work across the cross is finely detailed with a diamond and pellet pattern — a decorative vocabulary typical of late medieval ecclesiastical metalwork. The overall design reflects a transitional moment between Romanesque and early Renaissance forms, with influences from earlier Gothic iconography still clearly present.


The fragments of the cross are mounted onto a later velvet-covered wooden panel, suggesting its preservation and reverent reuse, perhaps during the 19th century. This was likely once part of a larger liturgical object, most likely the back of a processional cross or altar ornament (Christ would have been on the front), repurposed for personal devotional use and highly valued as a religious object.


Related works:
Processional cross, 15th century Lombardy, Museum of Saint'Eustorgio in Milan.


Such devotional remnants, offer a tangible link to early liturgical practice and are valued for their intimacy and sculptural immediacy. A moving survival with strong aesthetic and historical appeal, equally suited to a scholarly collection or atmospheric interior display.

  • Period: 15th Century
    • Price: £5,500.00
    • €6,358 Euro
    • $7,275 US Dollar
  • Location: Yorkshire
    • Dimensions: H: 31.5cm (12.40in)
    • W: 19cm (7.48in)
    • D: 2.5cm (0.98in)