Pectoral Cross

2009CA7155_jpg_l. Pectoral crosses were worn on a chain or cord around the neck, and acted as charms to protect the wearer. The pectoral cross was commonly worn by bishops and abbots in the medieval period. The figure style and the particular iconographic feature of the Dextera Dei also link the cross with monumental pre-Conquest stone sculptures, such as Stepney and Romsey, datable to the late 10th or early 11th century. All these images are © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London. These free low-resolution images are covered also under the museum's Terms and Conditions (http://collections.vam.ac.uk/information/information_termsandconditions). The full image collection is available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk and http://collections.vam.ac.uk/ where you can also order high resolution copies.