Crosier of Pope de Luna

French art

This piece is important and valuable not only as a work of art but also as a historical rarity, given that this crosier was used by two popes. It was ordered from a silversmith of Avignon by Clement VI, whose papacy lasted from 1342 to 1352, which explains why its characteristics are in keeping with those of liturgical objects from the mid-14th century. It was later used by Benedict XIII, Pope de Luna, though not without making several changes first. The crosier is made of gilded silver, with translucent coloured enamel along the polygonal shaft and circular crook that forms a border of rosettes and birds set inside a circle. The lozenges on the knop are likewise adorned with crossed gold keys over a silver decrescent and a tiara with infulae over a silver decrescent, plus another two silver decrescents, all in translucent enamel, which have been interpreted as heraldic devices of Pope de Luna. Finally, the two figurines at the end of the crook represent the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, the first chapter in the story of salvation which the supreme pontiff is called to spread and share with the world.