Crucifix

late 16th century

Miseroni Italian, 16th century

On View

European: Medieval and Renaissance, Level 2, West Wing

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

Over the centuries, rock crystal—the colorless quartz found in the St. Gotthard region of the Alps—has been valued for its diamondlike hardness and clarity, yet these same qualities make it extremely difficult to carve. This striking Crucifix displays the inherent beauty of this dazzling medium, handled by a master and further enhanced with enamel and gold. The Milan workshop that produced this cross was founded by a goldsmith, Ambrogio Matteo Miseroni, but his sons, who inherited the shop, worked in hardstone as well as gold. Their expertise in handling costly and challenging materials attracted the patronage of such powerful and discerning patrons as King Philip II of Spain and the Queen of France, Catherine de’ Medici. From its intricately carved base, embellished with bands of gold and colored enamel, to the elegant scrolls at the termini of the cross, this elegant Crucifix would have pleased such courtly clientele. From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)

Title Crucifix

Artwork Date late 16th century

Artist Miseroni

Life Dates 16th century

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Italian

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Rock crystal, gold and enamel

Dimensions Overall: 11 7/8 × 7 1/2 × 3 5/8 inches (30.2 × 19.1 × 9.2 cm)

Classification Glyptic Art

Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts

Credit Museum Purchase, Joseph M. de Grimme Memorial Fund; with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brodie, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Fuller; and gifts from Anna Thompson Dodge, Eleanor Clay Ford, Mr. and Mrs. Kaye G. Frank, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Whitcomb, Bernard Savage Reilly, and Mr. and Mrs. Isadore Levin, by exchange

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2004.28

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Provenance

by 1950s, Blumka family (Vienna, Austria and New York, New York, USA)

2004-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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Published References

Darr, Alan. P. and Brian Gallagher. "Recent acquisitions (2000-2006) of European sculpture and decorative arts at The Detroit Institute of Arts." The Burlington Magazine 149, no. 1251 (June 2007): p. 450, pl. III (ill.).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

workshop of Miseroni, Crucifix, late 16th century, rock crystal, gold and enamel. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Joseph M. de Grimme Memorial Fund; with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brodie, et al., 2004.28.