Medieval Bronze 卓越した聖地風ブロンズ十字架 — キリストの五傷を表す中世の十字軍ペンダント (No reserve price)

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Outstanding Holy Land–Type Bronze Cross Cross – Medieval Crusader Pendant in the Five Wounds of Christ Tradition

Object Type: Cross Pendant
Cultural Attribution: Medieval Crusader Era (Holy Land Type)
Period: Circa 12th–14th Century AD
Material: Bronze, cast and decorated

Dimensions:
H: 28.62 ± mm
W: 18.24 ± mm
Weight: 3.28 ± g

- Cultural and Iconographic Assessment Certificate: available upon request (PDF format)
- All shipments are sent fully insured
- During photography, a warm-toned lighting setup reminiscent of museum display illumination was used to emphasize the object's surface details and historic character in a natural manner.

Description
This remarkable bronze cross pendant, attributed to the Medieval Crusader era, is distinguished by its flaring arms, substantial proportions and carefully modelled suspension loop. Its frontal decoration is organised around a central cruciform composition, with symmetrical divisions and concentric ring-and-dot motifs creating a balanced visual rhythm.

The arrangement of these circular devices may be interpreted within the medieval devotional tradition of the Five Wounds of Christ, known in Latin as Quinque Vulnera Christi. These represented the wounds to Christ’s hands, feet and side during the Crucifixion. Their symbolic depiction on crosses, jewellery and personal devotional objects invited contemplation of the Passion while also conveying sacrifice, redemption and divine protection.

Within medieval Christian material culture, circular motifs could additionally evoke divine perfection, eternity and celestial light. Their repetition may therefore have reinforced the pendant’s apotropaic function and the belief that sacred objects protected their wearers.

Cross pendants were intimate expressions of fides (faith) and devotio (devotion), worn close to the body as declarations of Christian identity. In the Crusader context, they could also embody pilgrimage, sacred duty and salus—both spiritual salvation and deliverance from danger.

Information
The offered object was acquired in 2026 through an auction associated with A.N. Auction House in Germany and was transferred to us in 2026 by its previous owner, N.A., based in the Netherlands

The object has been documented using high-resolution equipment; no intervention has been made to its form or structural integrity, and only limited color-balance adjustment has been applied.

Upon request, museum-standard technical photographs may be provided during the auction; if requested prior to shipment, an expert report and a signed ownership document issued in the buyer’s name can be supplied in PDF format within 3–5 business days

Statements regarding dating, function, symbolic interpretation, and material identification represent high-probability academic assessments based on typological comparisons, parallels in museum collections, and expert opinion; definitive conclusions require advanced laboratory analysis and fall outside the scope of the platform’s sales process.

Prospective buyers are advised to evaluate the images in conjunction with the stated measurements, as high-resolution photography may influence perceived scale. Throughout the presentation and sales process, principles of scholarly consistency, transparency, and good faith are observed, and no object is knowingly offered as a copy or imitation.