1662 Pectoral Сross from the collection of Moscow Kremlin Museums

This magnificent precious cross is repeatedly mentioned in the inventories of the royal treasury of the second half of the 17th century among the regalia and other items of royal rank included in the Grand Attire of the sovereign. In the center of the cross there is a removable cross with diamonds, under which one can see multi-figure scenes made of transparent enamels - "Annunciation", "Nativity of Christ", "Baptism". On the manger with the Child in the scene of the Nativity of Christ there is a date - 1662. At the ends of the cross there are also enamel compositions on gospel scenes - "The Last Supper", "Crucifixion", "Entombment", "Descent into Hell".​

Cross height 150 mm, width 115 mm.
Chain length 825 mm.

 

The images are accompanied by Russian and Greek inscriptions. This means that visiting craftsmen worked on the creation of the cross alongside domestic ones. It is known that among the foreigners who worked in the Kremlin workshops were Greeks, mostly from Turkey. Archival documents confirm that in the 1660s Greeks who arrived in Moscow were accepted into the court jewelers. In their petition submitted to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, they wrote: "We want to live in Moscow for a year or two, to announce our work, to show our gold and silver handicrafts, which are suitable to be made for your royal majesty in gold with niello and enamel."​

 

Most likely originally this cross was made for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, was later remade for his eldest son, Feodor Alexeevich. This is evidenced by the enamel image of Saint Feodor Stratelates, the patron saint of Feodor Alexeevich, who ascended the throne in 1676 as a sixteen-year-old youth and held it for six years, placed on the reverse side.
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