Inscriptions and Interactions: Text and Image on the Cloisters Cross and other Ivories

Abstract

According to the Gospel narratives, a sign of identification was posted on the cross above Christ’s head at the Crucifixion, following Roman custom. The biblical passage in John 19: 19-22 and its exegesis concerning the circumstances of the titulus provides a concise commentary on the Christian use of inscription. The Cross’s inscription is described as multilingual and disputed from the moment of its production, but it also authoritatively affirmed by the Bible passage itself. As it grew in importance in the Middle Ages, the supposedly preserved object and text became a relic testifying to the veracity of the events of the Crucifixion. Of particular interest is the way in which the ironic phrase “King of the Jews,” not only fails to match the image of the abjected crucified man it inscribes but thereby comes to represent a higher truth also inherent in the Gospel story. This essay discusses these issues as they are realized on the ivory Cloisters Cross in New York City and then contrasts this highly self-conscious use of inscription to other texts on Romanesque ivories.