Hand Cross
unknown
Basic information
Additionally
- Type
- decorative and applied arts ritual items
- Genre
- religious
- Provenance
- Suhriv village, Stryi district, Lviv region
Information about author
Object description
Wooden crosses are the most common and best-known type of Ukrainian wooden plastics. The design of the hand cross is seven-pointed (one end of the upper frame is missing), with an elongated central crosspiece. The carver carried out the work using contour, notched, and flat relief carving techniques. The compositional solution of the cross is characterised by simplicity and laconicism in the interpretation of the iconographic subjects that occupy the centre of the main core and the central frame on both sides. The front is carved with a graphic image of the Crucifixion with schematically elaborated details. The Saviour's head is inclined towards his right shoulder, his hands are open, and his feet are parallel. Above the crucifixion is the inscription "INRI", and on the central frame – "Nike", a symbol of victory. At the end of the central crossbar are graphic, waist-length, flat-carved figures of the standing figures – the Virgin Mary and John. A smooth strip separates the upper and lower frames from the main composition. Around the perimeter of the cross on the front, repeating the shape of the frames is an "ark" strip that does not protrude from the main surface of the piece. On the back of the cross, in the central part, there is a graphic image of the Virgin Mary wearing a crown and holding the Christ Child in her arms, the decorative solution of which is dominated by straight lines and triangular cuts. At the ends of the central frame are waist-length, flat-carved figures of saints with slightly elaborated details inscribed in a circle. A geometric pattern dominates the decorative finish of the handmade cross. The simplicity of the images and their graphic representation testify to the authorship of a folk master.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
