Enamelled gold and pearl crucifix pendant, Spanish or German, 16th century

An enamelled gold and baroque pearl crucifix pendant.

Spanish or German, second half of the 16th century.

Measures 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.7cm.

Weighs 7.4 grams.

The crucified figure of Christ is depicted with a limp, lifeless body suspended from the cross, rendered in a posture that emphasises His physical suffering and human vulnerability. Above His head appears the titulus bearing the inscription ‘INRI’, an abbreviation of the Latin phrase “I?sus Nazar?nus, R?x I?dae?rum”, meaning “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”—a phrase intended to mock Christ’s claim to kingship, as ordered by Pontius Pilate. The arms of the cross are embellished with pools of vivid blue enamel, lending a striking visual depth and contrast. The reverse is intricately adorned with the Arma Christi—the Instruments of the Passion—which symbolically recount the narrative of Christ’s suffering, crucifixion, and death. Baroque pearls adorn the four corners at the base of each arm of the cross, their organic irregularity and soft lustre providing both decorative richness and devotional resonance.

Contained within a 19th-century, gilt-tooled Moroccan leather box.