Italy, Umbria / c. 1320
Processional Cross
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Processional Cross as painting (Italy, Umbria · c. 1320).
This cross is painted on both sides so that while being carried in a procession the images are visible to a crowd; both sides are not quite identical.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas on wood and credits Master of Santa Chiara (Italian).
The museum's collection notes: This cross was originally mounted on a tall pole and carried in religious processions. Therefore, the figures on each side are almost identical. In the center is Christ crucified. Looking on from the elaborate terminals at left and right are the Virgin and Saint John. The bottom terminal shows a different saint on each side: Saint Francis on one and Saint Clare on the other. At the top of each side is an angel. Although one angel looks up and the other down, both express intense grief in their faces and gestures. The Master of Santa Chiara is the name given to this unknown artist who painted this and several other works in Assisi. In that cit
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtProcessional CrossOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.