Astile Cross

From a gold-plated base adorned with a pair of angel heads and completed with the coat of arms of the Assumption and of the Franciscan Order, emerges a coiled cross which is finely engraved in silver and resembles a gnarled tree-clear reference to the Lignum Vitae; beloved by the Franciscan world thanks to the writings of St. Bonaventure. The cross is enriched with vineyards; the life par excellence according to the early Christian). On the front of the crucifix there is the image of Christ; the setting of the figure, portrayed with a backwards facing head, reveals the legacy of a reformed culture and is reminiscent of the late Manneristic taste, still remote from the emotional engagement typical of the Baroque. The image of St. Francis on the reverse is depicted with an ecstatic gaze, a resplendent body, and his wet tunic is made to drape around his body. At the intersection of the arms there are three gold-plated swords (originally four) designed to resemble lilies. The ends of the three upper arms end in lobed heads surrounded by angel heads and lilies, which have been restored, too. On the side there are figures of three Franciscan saints: right S. Antonio da Padova (represented with a book in his left hand, in memory of the evangelical doctrine, and the lily, now lost in his right hand); in the upper, S. Bonaventura da Bagnoregio (with the cardinal hat and a book), to the left, a third figure of a master of doctrine, identifiable with S. Bernardino da Siena. The saints’ vestments are conventionally recognizable from the hood. The impressive cross, already known to critics (T. Berloco in Altamura 1977-78, pp. 220-221, G. Boraccesi in La Puglia 2013, pp. 334-335), is often used by the cathedral Chapter, in particular for funerals. The origin of the Franciscan Minor monastery is attested both by the presence of the Franciscan coat of arms adorning one side of the base, as well as by documents from the Capitular archive. These documents indicate that after years of uncertainty about the property, the crucifix was finally purchased on August 28, 1850 by the Chapter through the Count Viti for the figure of three hundred ducats (T. Berloco in Altamura 1977-78, p.224). By analysing the stylistic elements and comparing the work with other dated tree crosses in nearby Basilicata (see the extensive repertoire proposed in Argenti in Basilicata 1994), one could imagine a dating from the late 16th century to early 17th.