The Cloisters Cross: Its Art and Meaning

The twelfth-century English Cloisters Cross, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is one of only three complete medieval ivory crosses extant. This comprehensive study examines the history of the cross, its complex and ornate iconography, its function, liturgical context and intellectual setting. The authors also examine the cross's possible theological and artistic connections with the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, and its place in English Romanesque art.