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☼CHINESE MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID WOOD CROSS CRUX, China, late 19th / early 20th century
h cm 51 x l cm 25,7
The two ends of the cross are in the shape of a ruyi. The front is inlaid with carved mother-of-pearl, depicting fruit vines, lotus, flowers and leaves. The sides and back are plain.
Catalogue notes:
Macau became a major training and departure point for Catholic missionaries to different countries in Asia, and crosses such as this example would have served in the teaching of the Bible.
The cross crucifix most probably came from Macao. After the arrival of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, Macau became a diocese of the Catholic Church. The Diocese of Macau was given a wide jurisdiction over various ecclesiastical territories in the Far East, such as China, Japan, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
A related, Chinese, mother-of-pearl inlaid crucifix dating to the 17th-18th century was sold at Christie's Auction "European Courts Encounter Japan" on May 11, 2015, lot 14. A similar cross is published in the Sotheby's catalogue: "Fine Chinese Decorative Works of Art, April 18 and 19 1989, New York, lot 465A.
螺钿嵌木使徒十字架，中国，19世纪末/20世纪初
€ 150,00 / 250,00
Estimate
€ 150,00
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€
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