Examination of a Spanish medieval processional crucifix substantially reworked in the 20th century

The authenticity of a double‐sided painted processional crucifix acquired as Spanish 13th century from a private collection in Barcelona was questioned shortly after the piece entered The Cloisters (Metropolitan Museum of Art) collection in 1955. At the time, a combination of connoisseurship and limited technical analysis was employed to conclude that the crucifix was a forgery. In this work, a re‐examination was carried out in order to support or deny earlier conclusions. Pigments and ground layers were analyzed in paint samples by Raman microscopy, complemented by scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive x‐ray spectroscopic elemental analysis. The results showed that the piece is a re‐fabrication of a Spanish medieval cross, perhaps dating from the 14th century. Significant alterations were made in order to present the work as a rare example of its type. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.