Reliquary Of The Holy Cross – Lignum Crucis – Italy, 18th Century

Reliquary of the Holy Cross – Lignum Crucis – Italy, 18th century

Devotional reliquary dedicated to the Holy Cross, set in a finely cut, embossed, and chased gilded alloy mount, featuring rich Baroque decoration of openwork scrolls, volutes, and foliage.

Description

The upper part is adorned with a radiating cross, while the lower part features the head of a winged cherub, giving the piece as a whole a particularly dramatic and balanced composition.

In the center, beneath glass, a fragment of the cross traditionally known as the Lignum Crucis is mounted on a blue silk background

The reverse opens with a removable lid and retains its ecclesiastical seal in red wax, accompanied by red silk threads, attesting to the closure and historical authentication of the reliquary.
The seal bears ecclesiastical coats of arms that are still partially legible.

Condition

In good overall condition with wear and signs of age consistent with its antiquity.

In accordance with canon law (can. 1190 §1), this sale pertains solely to the reliquary as an object of sacred art. The relics it contains are not part of the transaction but are included as a courtesy due to their historical and cultural value.

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