The Crucifixion

Venetia, 11th or 12th century
Ivory binding plaque
Musée National de l'Age Médiévale, Paris

The saints at the base of the plaque are St. Vitalis and his wife St. Valeria, Milanese martyrs of the first or second centuries, traditionally said to be the parents of SS. Gervasius and Protasius. Each carries what might be iconographical attributes: a short rod and a book in St. Vitalis' two hands, and a long rod with something like a flame in St. Valeria's left hand.

Inscriptions identify Mary and St. John left and right of the cross. Similarly, the personifications of the sun and moon above the crosspiece are identified by the Latin words SOL and LVNA respectively.

The head below the suppedaneum is most likely that of Adam.

Read more about images of the Crucifixion.
Read more about images of St. Vitalis and St. Valeria.

Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.