Hand Cross

The design of the hand cross is a seven-pointed cross with an elongated central crosspiece and a short handle. Its compositional solution is simple and laconic. Iconographic images on both sides occupy the central part of the central core. On the front is a carved crucifixion, in which Christ is represented in the Byzantine tradition – nailed to the cross with four nails. His hands with closed palms are hanging down, his head is tilted to his right shoulder, and his legs are straight. The master, striving for anatomical authenticity, reproduced the Saviour's body in flat relief. Above Christ's head, on a smooth background, is the outline of the All-Seeing Eye – a symbolic image of the Trinity. The inscription "INRI" is clearly visible across the entire surface of the upper frame. On the back of the cross in the centre is a relief of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus. The schematised figures show a tendency towards geometric forms. The surface of the middle and lower frames is not filled with figurative images but is decorated with flat, parallel diagonal lines that intersect to form a pattern. Along the contour, all the ends of the handmade seven-pointed cross are framed by a solid, smooth line.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery