A RARE IRISH EARLY 18TH CENTURY PENAL CROSS CARVED...

IN YEW WOOD, 1716, the obverse with the figure of the crucified Christ with a ladder, spear and INRI, dated 1716, a cross and IHS. 156mm, 55mm During a period of economic, social, and religious oppression of catholics in Ireland, known as the Penal Laws, Catholics found solace in portable, tangible relics of worship. Among these devotional artifacts were the Penal Crosses, simple wooden crosses with a figure of Christ carved in high relief at the center, and symbols representing the Passion of Christ around the central figure. In his study, A.T. Lucas suggests that Penal Crosses were manufactured in the eighteenth to early nineteenth century, with a strong association with the pilgrimage site at Lough Derg, County Donegal. Lucas speculates that the whole genus of these objects may be associated with the Lough Derg pilgrimage, where they were made and sold to pilgrims visiting the site and subsequently kept as relics. Made of a single piece of wood, Penal Crosses range in size from reasonably large to very small. The crosses were inscribed with various symbols and inscriptions representing the Passion of Christ, including the INRI (Jesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum) and IHS (Jesus Huios Sother) inscriptions, and symbols such as a hammer, spear, scourge(s), ladder, and cock and pot. These symbols were carved around the central figure of Christ, with the back of the crosses more sparsely decorated, often with a date inscribed. The cock and pot symbol has its roots in the story of Judas from the Gospel of Nicodemus. After betraying Christ, Judas returns home with the intention of killing himself. His wife is roasting a cock over the fire, and she tells Judas that Jesus is as likely to rise from the dead as the cock she is cooking is likely to come to life. With that, the cock flew out of the pot and crowed. Today, Penal Crosses serve as important cultural and historical artifacts, reminding us of the hardships faced by Irish Catholics during the Penal Laws, and their devotion to their faith during a time of great persecution