The Cloisters Cross is widely recognised as a masterpiece of late Romanesque art. Carved of walrus ivory, it appeared after World War II in a private collection and was subsequently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The earliest scholarly publications identified it as English, and that probably remains the majority opinion. However, over the years, other attributions have been suggested. What has become clear in the process is that the Cross merits study in the broad intellectual and artistic context of northern Europe, from the Ile de France up to Scandinavia, and England across to Germany.
This one-day colloquium, jointly held by the British Archaeological Association and The Courtauld, will review and extend the debates about the origins and history of the Cloisters Cross. Speakers include Charles T. Little, Sabrina Harcourt-Smith, Robyn Barrow, Miri Rubin, Neil Stratford, Cecily Hennessy and Sandy Heslop.
Organised by Cecily Hennessy and Sandy Heslop on behalf of the British Archaeological Association.
Registration cost includes lunch and refreshments
Programme
10.30 to 11.00 Coffee and registration (Reception and Research Forum Seminar Room)
11.00-11.10 Welcome: John McNeill and Tom Nickson (Lecture Theatre 2)
11.10-12.40 Session 1, Chair: Lloyd de Beer
Charles T. Little: ‘Through a glass darkly’: Seventy Years of Understanding and Misunderstanding the Cloisters Cross
Sabrina Harcourt-Smith: Reflections on the Cloisters Cross in a preaching context
12.40—1.40 Lunch (provided – Research Forum Seminar Room)
1.40-3.20 Session 2, Chair: Lindy Grant
Robyn Barrow: Split Tooth: The Cloisters Cross and the Walrus Tusk
Neil Stratford: The British Museum and the Cloisters Cross
Miri Rubin: ‘Synagoga, agnus dei’ and the Cloisters Cross
3.20-3.40 Tea break (Research Forum Seminar Room)
3.40-5.10 Session 3: Chair: Richard Plant
Cecily Hennessy: The Cloisters Cross and the Sphere of Henry the Lion and Matilda of England
Sandy Heslop: The Oslo Corpus and the Cloisters Cross Revisited
5.10-5:40 Final Discussion
5.40-6.30 Drinks (Research Forum Seminar Room – generously supported by Sam Fogg)
