Back of enamelled gold cross showing the Virgin and child, the front shows the crucifixion of Christ. Removing a pin at the top allows the cross to open, revealing a cavity inside containing a fragment of wood set in wax. The owner of this pendant would almost certainly have believed that the piece of wood inside was from the True Cross, the cross on which Christ was crucified. Wealthy people visited the shrines of saints as well as bringing holy relics. Pieces of the True Cross were among the most sought after and prized of such relics in the early 15th century.

1401 AD - 1500 AD

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