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A gilded copper crozier with sgraffito decoration and turquo…
1
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A gilded copper crozier with sgraffito decoration and turquo…
Estimate €60,000 - €90,000
Voluntary lot
Description
A gilded copper crozier with sgraffito decoration and turquoise cabochons. Limoges. Second quarter of the 13th century.
32 x 13.5 x 6.5 cm.
A magnificent example of Limousin goldsmithing, in superb condition.
Comparable to the crozier from Asnières Abbey, now housed in the Treasury of Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Angers, in Cizay-la-Madeleine, France, which has been kept in the Treasury of Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Angers, France, ever since it was discovered by workers in 1957 during restoration work on the interior of the abbey.
Thus, the crozier from Asnières provides an interesting parallel for the study of the present piece, both in terms of its formal configuration and its ornamental repertoire.
Like the Asnières crozier, ours belongs to the production of the Limoges region. Neither piece is enamelled; both are simply gilded, a less common feature.
Both have a shaft engraved with small leaves and embellished with three applied dragons (one of which is missing from ours), whose tails curl beneath the knop.
The knop of the Asnières crozier is openwork, whereas ours is particularly distinctive for its globular shape and radial decoration with small turquoise cabochons.
In both examples, the upper section rises from the knop, which supports a crown from which the upper part emerges. This section is engraved with leaves, as is the shaft.
The volute of the crozier is formed by a long, engraved stem that curls back on itself and features particularly rich decoration, with a serrated outer edge.
At the centre of our crozier, one side depicts the Visitation and the other Christ blessing, whereas the central motif on the Asnières crozier is the Annunciation.
Reference Bibliography:
- Exhibition catalogue 'Crosses Épiscopales'. Treasury Room of Saint-Étienne Cathedral, Toul, France. June–September 2025, pp. 46–47.
- Auzas, Pierre-Marie. “Le Trésor de la cathédrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers.” Congrès archéologique de France, 1964, p. 48.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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