gems, jewelry, pearl, antique jewelry

The pearl-embroidered chasuble cross that was made around 1500 in Ebstorf Monastery in North Germany was studied in detail. The cross is still kept at the monastery; it is today part of an altar cloth that is used on festive occasions for the main altar—in the nun’s choir only. The study, made on the occasion of several visits to Ebstorf Monastery in 1999, 2007, 2008, and 2009, focuses on the pearls being used, which originated from surrounding streams in Lüneburg Heath, one of the rare lowland occurrences of the European pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera. Furthermore, it is discussed what manufacturing techniques were being used and where and for whom the cross was probably made. The discussion includes iconography, composition, and style within the context of medieval embroideries in Lower Saxony and contemporary chasuble embroideries in central Europe.