CRUCIFIX ON BRASS STAND

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1880 - 1900

Subcollections

Overview

Brass crucifix on stand.
Flat brass cross with decorative swirl design ray design emerging from the four corners where the two sections of the cross intersect. Brass figure of Christ hanging on the cross with affixed brass scroll at top of cross with the initials 'INRI' Crimson velvet material (worn) has been affixed to the cross under the scroll and figure.
A decorative swirl design is on the back of the cross.
The cross is brazed to a brass stand, square with four ornate feet.

Historical information

Ownership was transferred to the museum during the vacation of the Sisters of Mercy site in Toodyay by the Franciscans of the Immaculate Heart in January 2017. This religious order had been in residence at 36 Stirling Terrace, Toodyay as the Marian Friary of Our Lady Help of Christians since approx 1997. (It was the first community of this order established in Australia from New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA and was recalled in 2017.)
Before the Franciscans, the site was occupied by members of the Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters of Mercy originally came to Toodyay in 1883 to establish a school. A bequest by Daniel Connor enabled the construction of a new convent in 1903 on Stirling Terrace and the development of a school at this site. The St Aloysius Convent of Mercy School was was run by the Sisters of Mercy between 1903 and 1971. Following the closure of the school some of the Sisters remained at Toodyay for pastoral work until the early 2000s.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-37-2017.15

Item type

Objects

Material

Brass

Velvet

Width

20 cm

Height or length

34 cm

Depth

10.5000 cm

Contextual information

This style of crucifix was traditionally crafted in France and Belgium during the late Victorian or Neo-Gothic revival period for use on church side-altars or private home prayer tables. The key identifying features for dating this crucifix are:
Velvet - The crimson velvet backing used inside the cast metal frames is a classic signature of late-19th-century French religious craftsmanship. It was used to create a striking contrast against the polished metal and signify liturgical reverence.
Size - indicates it was explicitly designed as a primary home altar cross or for a smaller chapel/side-altar
The Design -The ornate, scrolling filigree border paired with the dramatic, radiating sunburst rays behind the corpus of Christ represents the Gothic and Baroque Revival styles that heavily dominated French religious art during the late 1800s.

Keywords

Sisters Of Mercy, Convent

Franciscan Friars Of The Immaculate Heart

Place made

France

Year

1880 - 1900

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Last modified

Friday, 11 September, 2026

Completeness