The majority of a gilt-bronze Limoges cross plaque with cloison enamel ornament; a reserved Corpus Christi with arms extended and head bowed, framed by a nimbus with enamel fill, two large polychrome enamel rosettes and two smaller roundels; above, a panel with incised 'IHS' (for Iesus Hominem Salvator 'Jesus saviour of men') and 'XRS' (for Christos) and Manus Dei (hand of God) descending from a cloud; to the reverse, scrolled tendrils and flowers.

PROVENANCE:
Found Congham, Norfolk, UK; 1st May 2005.

PUBLISHED:
Recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme with reference number NMS-0C83C2; accompanied by a print-out of the PAS report.

LITERATURE:
For a similar example dating to about 1190 AD see the cross in The British Museum, accession number OA.228

FOOTNOTES:
The enamel production during the Middle Ages in Limousin was underlined by the Champlevé technique and was known as the Work of Limoges, opus lemovicense. Emerging in the 12th century, it had great success in all western Christendom before disappearing during the 14th century. There is not a single reason for the emergence and development of Limousin enamel production in the Middle Ages but this phenomenon can be explained by several factors: natural, historical, cultural and economic. Most of the raw components are present in the local environment: silica for glass, metal oxides for colours, acid water for powder purification and wood for ovens; only copper had to be imported into the area. Since Antiquity, Limoges has been located at the crossroads of several routes. In the Middle Ages, the road to Santiago became one of these. Thanks to this location, the city - and especially the Saint-Martial Abbey, built on the grave of the city's evangelist - welcomed pilgrims who fostered commercial prosperity and urban development. The enamel workshops were sponsored by the Limoges Saint-Martial Abbey and Grandmont Abbey; these patrons may have helped in spreading objects and supplying the area with copper. The Work of Limoges' success was also due to its aesthetic value and some of the enamelled objects are viewed as remarkable masterpieces of medieval art.

John Cherry notes: "It may well have belonged to a church or monastic house in East Anglia and been hidden at the Dissolution."