When the medieval grave of a young woman near Wolmirstedt in Saxony-Anhalt was uncovered in 2000, a very special pendant was found around the neck of the approximately 22-year-old woman: the later so-called “Cross of Wolmirstedt”.
This cross pendant is really unique: it is the only pendant of this kind found in Germany so far byzantine Origin. The silver cross, which is so important for this very reason, probably dates from the 12th or 13th century and must have reached central Germany from the Byzantine cultural area despite the considerable distances on the trade routes of the time. Symbolically, the pendant in the shape of a "latin cross“ refers to the union of the heavenly with the earth: the vertical arm of the cross symbolizes the divine – the horizontal arm of the cross symbolizes the connection with the earth.
The State Museum for Prehistory in Halle as the current owner and keeper of the original find commissioned us to produce replicas of this extraordinary cross pendant for his museum shop. After we had already produced replicas of the “Magic Ring of Paussnitz“ for the museum shop in Halle, we were particularly pleased about this renewed commission.
The "Cross of Wolmirstedt" recovered from the woman's grave showed severe signs of wear and tear; it was probably worn very frequently and for a long time. The replicas were deliberately intended to undo this wear and tear, so that they looked as if the Byzantine goldsmiths had only just finished the crosses.
Like the original, our replica is made of 925/- sterling silver and was decorated with the spherical and recessed ends of the cross arms in our studio created once on the basis of an existing template as a prototype and the final appearance was coordinated with the Förderverein des Landesmuseums Halle - as the operator of the museum shop.
After this "original version" of the Wolmirstedt Cross was approved by the Halle Friends' Association, our precious metal supplier produced a detailed cast and an initial mold. This means that we are now able to supply future orders from the museum at particularly low prices, at short notice and in consistently high quality and in any desired quantity.
We are very happy to be able to further intensify our cooperation with German museums with this and another current order. At the same time, the LVR LandesMuseum Bonn contacted us again to have a replica of a Roman Optio ring reworked in our studio in preparation for an exhibition. But more on that shortly...