Mercury-gilded copper; the cross is inserted in an octagonal stepped base supported by eight winged sphinxes; this ...

Mercury-gilded copper; the cross is inserted in an octagonal stepped base supported by eight winged sphinxes; this base is decorated with Mediterranean coral (Corallium Rubrum) dots, pods and cherub heads, a fundamental component of Sicilian Baroque art, and blue enamels. The cross is all surrounded by coral elements fixed to the support with pins and with coral roses surrounded by blue enamel petals; on the sides of the arms and on the top, there is a white and blue enamels lace decoration. The sculpture of Christ, perhaps from a later period, has a long and rich lace dress, almost priestly, which covers almost all the legs; this representation takes from the Christ of Scicli (a late baroque city in south-east Sicily), the "Crucifix with the Dress", a painting of Spanish origin dated 1669 preserved in the sacristy of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista. The presence of the skull at the bottom recalls the tradition according to which the cross was placed where Adam was buried, so symbolically the passion of Christ will free men from Adam's death and therefore from the original sin. The Trapani's coral worker from fifteenth to seventeenth century became famous throughout the Mediterranean for their splendid masterpieces as sacred and profane objects or nativity. Dimensions 19 x 16 cm, height 52 cm. Item condition grading: ***fair (defects and losses).