Gilded Copper Astylar Italian Lombardy Processional Cross 15th Century

A rare and evocative devotional object from the late 15th century, Italian school, likely from the Lombardy-Venetian area.

This finely worked element from a processional cross is formed in gilded and engraved copper, centred by a wonderfully detailed gilded silver appliqué of Saint John the Evangelist. Shown seated in quiet contemplation, the figure is modelled in relief with sensitively rendered drapery and a gently inclined head, exuding both dignity and introspection.

The repoussé work across the cross is finely detailed with a diamond and pellet pattern — a decorative vocabulary typical of late medieval ecclesiastical metalwork. The overall design reflects a transitional moment between Romanesque and early Renaissance forms, with influences from earlier Gothic iconography still clearly present.

The fragments of the cross are mounted onto a later velvet-covered wooden panel, suggesting its preservation and reverent reuse, perhaps during the 19th century. This was likely once part of a larger liturgical object, most likely the back of a processional cross or altar ornament (Christ would have been on the front), repurposed for personal devotional use and highly valued as a religious object.

Related works:
Processional cross, 15th century Lombardy, Museum of Saint'Eustorgio in Milan.

Such devotional remnants, offer a tangible link to early liturgical practice and are valued for their intimacy and sculptural immediacy. A moving survival with strong aesthetic and historical appeal, equally suited to a scholarly collection or atmospheric interior display.