The Cloisters Cross (also known as the Bury St Edmunds Cross ), is a complex 12th-century ivory Romanesque altar cross or processional cross . It is named after The Cloisters , part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which acquired it in 1963.
21-461: The cross is usually said to have been carved in England between 1150 and 1160, although some scholars believe it is more likely to be central European. It is made from walrus ivory and measures 22 5 ⁄ 8 × 14 1 ⁄ 4 in. (57.5 × 36.2 cm). It includes highly detailed carvings on both sides and a number of inscriptions. The imagery features the crucifixion of Jesus and the symbols of
42-498: A walrus . The tusks grow throughout life and may, in the Pacific walrus, attain a length of one metre. Walrus teeth are commercially carved and traded; the average walrus tooth has a rounded, irregular peg shape and is approximately 5 cm in length. The tip of a walrus tusk has a tooth enamel coating which is worn away during the animal's youth. Fine longitudinal cracks, which appear as radial cracks in cross-section, originate in
63-648: Is assumed to have been at the front. The Old Testament prophets on the reverse have banderoles containing quotations from their books. The verses on the cross contain antisemitic texts. One reads Cham ridet dum nuda pudibunda parentis; Iudei risere Dei penam mor[ientis] , or " Cham laughed when he saw his parents' shameful nudity; the Jews laughed at God's dying pains." Another states: Terra tremit mors victa gemit surgente sepulto; Vita cluit Synagoga ruit molimine stult[o] , or in English, "The earth trembles, death groans as
84-941: The Arctic since prehistoric times, among them the Inuit , Inupiaq and Yupik of Greenland and North America and the Chukchi and Koryak of Russia . The Chukchi and Bering Sea Yupik in particular continue to produce ivory. The folk art of walrus-ivory carving has been popular in European Russia since the Middle Ages, with notable schools of walrus-ivory carving in Kholmogory and Tobolsk . During Soviet times, several walrus carving collectives were established in villages in Chukotka , notably Uelen . International trade is, however, somewhat restricted by
105-763: The Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) . In the Early Medieval period, when supplies of elephant ivory reaching Europe reduced or ceased after the Muslim conquests , walrus ivory began to be traded by Vikings into northern Europe as a replacement. King Alfred the Great of Wessex records that he was presented with walrus tusks by the Viking trader Ohthere of Hålogaland in about 890, which may mark
126-480: The ascension of Jesus at top, his resurrection on the left, and the crucifixion on the right. The terminals on the reverse show the symbols of three of the Four Evangelists : John (the eagle), Mark (the lion) and Luke (the ox); the reverse contains a number of other depictions of Old Testament prophets. The now lost base presumably had Matthew 's winged man on the reverse, while Christ before Caiaphas
147-468: The cementum and penetrate the dentine . These cracks can be seen throughout the length of the tusk. Whole cross-sections of walrus tusks are generally oval with widely spaced indentations. The dentine is composed of two types: primary dentine and secondary (often called osteodentine). Primary dentine has a classical ivory appearance. Secondary dentine is marble or oatmeal-like. Walrus- ivory carving and engraving has been an important folk art for people of
168-591: The Abbey in about 1135, and is now in the Parker Library of Corpus Christi College , Cambridge ; it is not known whether he illuminated the second volume, of which only a small fragment is known to survive, now in a private collection in the United States. He is also recorded as making bronze doors for the western entry of the Abbey church, a great bell and a carved crucifix with figures of Mary and Saint John , for
189-452: The Cham verse circulated widely in example sermon texts in the following centuries. Interpretation of the cross is difficult, in part because the base of the cross is lost. An ivory plaque with a scene of Christ before Caiaphas is proposed as the base, but this is not accepted by all scholars. If the plaque was part of the base of the cross, this would reinforce an antisemitic intent, as it places
210-540: The Evangelists . It is generally held to contain antisemitic images and texts, but this is subject to debate. The carvings which cover both front and back sides include ninety-two intricately carved figures and ninety-eight inscriptions. The figures are only about one-half inch tall, and illustrate a number of Biblical persons and scenes. Each side consists of a central circular medallion and three square terminals, all of which contain highly detailed carvings. The front has
231-461: The Jew Caiaphas as the judge responsible for Jesus' crucifixion. The Metropolitan Museum of Art 's website currently says: "Prominent among the inscriptions are several strong invectives against Jews. Though it is impossible to know precisely who commissioned this piece and with what aims, the cross certainly offers some indication of the antisemitism prevalent in England at this time. By the end of
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#1733104210433252-574: The Metropolitan in 1963. The British Museum had wanted to buy the cross but eventually declined because of Topić Mimara's inability to prove that he had full title to sell the cross. Hoving reportedly stayed up drinking coffee with Topić Mimara until the British Museum's option lapsed at midnight, and then purchased the cross immediately for £200,000. Walrus ivory Walrus ivory , also known as morse , comes from two modified upper canines of
273-508: The Monk's Choir (probably a rood ). He has been credited with having made the ivory Cloisters Cross (or "Bury St Edmunds Cross"), now at The Cloisters , New York. It is not known where Master Hugo was born or trained. According to the Fitzwilliam Museum , "the magnificent colour patterns of his paintings, the startlingly new Byzantine draperies and the deep-staring eyes of Moses, Aaron and
294-449: The book had not dealt with the antisemitism of the object head on, instead attempting to apply discretion to the topic, his review also expressed doubt that the cross was English, as a number of the images and themes, including the figure of Synagoga piercing the Lamb of God , and depictions of Jews wearing conical hats, imply a German or eastern European rather than English origin. The name of
315-619: The buried one arises; Life is called, the Synagogue falls through its stupid endeavours". The inscription added to the cross by the Romans, instead of reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" is altered to "Jesus of Nazareth, King of Confessors". The meter and style of the verses has been used to identify it with the Bury St Edmunds Abbey, where very similar verses originally on a choir screen have been recorded. Other, less harsh versions of
336-526: The sculptor is unknown. Thomas Hoving, who managed its acquisition while associate curator at The Cloisters, concluded that it was carved by Master Hugo at Bury St Edmunds Abbey in Suffolk . However, beyond stylistic affinities in the carving and inscriptions, there is no certain evidence to suggest that the cross was even made in England; although this is accepted by most scholars, other places of origin such as Germany have been proposed. Its provenance before it
357-464: The start of this trade. Nearly all ivories in Anglo-Saxon art use walrus, and most northern European ivories of the 11th and 12th centuries. Initially large walrus herds were found much further south than is the case today, and it is likely that their hunting for ivory greatly impacted on populations. Around 1160 northern European ivory carving was greatly reduced, which may well be because the material
378-561: The thirteenth century, Jews were expelled from the country". This theme was developed in a book by Thomas Hoving , the curator involved when the Metropolitan acquired the cross, and later Director. Elizabeth C. Parker and Charles T. Little however have attempted to argue that the object is referring to the tradition of Christian-Jewish debate. Their book was unkindly described by British academic Sandy Heslop as "an autobiographical romance … written in Raymond Chandler style". Stating that
399-452: Was a Romanesque lay artist and the earliest recorded professional artist in England. His documented career at Bury St Edmunds Abbey spans from before 1136 to after 1148. He is most famous for illuminating the first volume of the Bury Bible , which "have led to a general acknowledgement of Master Hugo as the gifted innovator of the main line of English Romanesque art ". This was made for
420-569: Was acquired by the Croatian art collector Ante Topić Mimara (1898–1987) is unknown. Mimara had connections with Hermann Goering and showed part of the object in Rome to Vatican art historian Wolfgang Fritz Volbach [ de ] during the Second World War, at which time it was not clean and well kept, implying that it had not been in the hands of a collector. Mimara eventually sold it to
441-559: Was less easily available. Around 1260, at the start of the Gothic period, elephant ivory began to reach Europe again, and the industry greatly increased. The Norse also carved items in walrus ivory, notably the Lewis chessmen . Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. "Pipe #1926-37-61" . Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum . Retrieved 10 October 2012 . Master Hugo Master Hugo (fl. c. 1130 – c. 1150)
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