Processional Cross of St Trudpert (The Freiburg Cross)

The history of this processional cross from the Abbey of Saint Trudpert in Münstertal near Freiburg in the southern Black Forest is recorded in documents going back to the late 13th century, something rare for works of that age. The piece was made specially to contain particles of the True Cross brought to the monastery from Palestine around the year 1280. It belonged to the Abbey until 1875, at which time it was purchased (already without the relics) by the remarkable Russian collector Alexander Petrovich Bazilevsky (1829–1899), to whom the Hermitage is indebted for many superb works of mediaeval art. The choice of materials, the complexity and diversity of techniques employed, the precision of the work and the perfection of the concept make the Freiburg Cross an unsurpassed creation. Its composition is simple and all-embracing: from the medallions on the reverse telling the life story of the Virgin Mary, to the apogee of the Crucifixion, all entwined with the finest filigree-work oak leaves. Down below on the reverse, there is a depiction of the monastery’s founder, Saint Trudpert. Researchers who have studied the Freiburg Cross find similarities between its appearance and French Gothic ivory carving, with the florid ornamentation employed by Flemish craftsmen and with the monumental sculpture in Strasbourg Minster. To all appearances, some of the finest craftsmen from neighbouring regions were invited to the monastery and between them collectively created this remarkable work of applied art.