Kiot cross, 19th century

Gilt bronze casting and polychrome enamels

Height x width: 35 x 25 cm

The artwork features the canonical structure of the Russian eight-pointed cross, with three crossbeams, where the slanted lower arm serves as a symbolic suppedaneum. At the center is the depiction of the Crucifixion, while the upper section features the dove of the Holy Spirit, flanked by two flying angels. Above them, Christ emerges from the clouds, creating a symbolic vertical axis that unites Father, Holy Spirit, and Son. At the base of the cross, a skull is visible, representing Golgotha, which recalls the site of Christ's death and the victory over death through the resurrection. At the foot of the cross, the Calvary scene is completed by the four canonical witness figures: on the left, the Virgin Mary accompanied by Saint Mary of Clopas, while on the right stand Saint John the Evangelist and the Centurion Longinus, identifiable by his Roman armor. The decorative apparatus expands into a series of panels that include both episodes from the life of Christ and symbolic representations, integrating Gospel narrative and allegorical content. Such objects, generally small in size, were intended for private devotion. Their portability made them easy to carry and, when necessary, conceal, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, following the schism known as the Raskol, endured periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.