Reliquary cross; Spanish school; c. 1622.

Reliquary cross; Spanish school; c. 1622.
Gilded bronze, quartz, engraved bone and silver.
It presents damages originated by the passage of time.
Measurements: 61 x 23,5 x 17,5 cm (total).
Reliquary cross of Spanish school, dated around 1622, made of gilded bronze, quartz, engraved bone and silver. The structure of the cross responds to the aesthetic language of the early Hispanic baroque, where material richness and meticulous detail were used to intensify the religious experience. The crucified Christ, carved in engraved bone, stands out for its anatomical expressiveness and the dramatic content of its representation, features typical of baroque imagery that sought to move the faithful.
On the arms of the cross there are small framed medallions, probably reliquaries, worked in silver, which add a sacred and auratic character to the piece. In the upper end is inscribed the titulus crucis, the traditional "INRI". In the lower part of the stipes is the skull with crossed tibiae, symbol of Golgotha and of Christ's triumph over death.
The foot of the cross is composed of a base in gilded bronze, richly ornamented with openwork scrolls and decoration of vegetal motifs, which gives it a solemn and ceremonial air. In its center rises an element of crystalline quartz, which functions as a support and alludes, possibly, to the purity and transparency of the divine. This block is inserted in a quadrangular base, decorated with reliefs, silver applications and cabochons that reinforce its precious character.
The realization of this type of religious objects, designed to house the relics of the saints, was common from the Gothic period, highlighting both the crosses, as the so-called "testas", which, in the contemporary documentation to its realization, were very popular. They were used to contain relics. In spite of the fact that many of them adopted very diverse forms, all of them had the same devotional purpose, which sometimes went beyond fanaticism. It should be remembered, however, that at that time, practically any element that had been in contact with the saint or his mortal remains (cloths, burial soil, etc.) was considered a sacred relic. This triggered a whole market for such objects. The best examples were made of precious metals, but specimens such as the present one were also highly valued, both for the container and, above all, for the content.