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Treasures of Georgia

Originally part of a large processional cross, this exquisitely wrought tenth-century crucifix offers a striking illustration of the skill of medieval Georgia’s metalsmiths (compare with photo of Vani Monastery). The 9-inch-high silver and gold-leaf cross was one of 150 Georgian treasures scheduled to go on display this fall in the traveling exhibition Land of Myth and Fire: Art of Ancient and Medieval Georgia. The exhibition was to open at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore this past October, but it was canceled for political reasons before the artworks ever left Georgia.