According to James Stourton, biographer of Kenneth Clark, Clark astonished “the crew during the filming of one of the early episodes when he carried the medieval Cross of Lothar up to the altar of Aachen Cathedral, and burst into tears.” It's is a crux gemmata (jewelled cross) processional cross dating from about 1000 AD, though its base dates from the 14th century, was made in Germany, probably at Cologne, and it's a near to outstanding example of medieval goldsmith's work.
The reverse side of the Cross is a plain gold plate engraved with the Crucifixion of Jesus, with above it the Hand of God holding a victor's wreath containing the dove of the Holy Ghost; here this represents God the Father's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice. This is the earliest known appearance of the dove in this motif, which introduces the whole Trinity into a crucifixion, an iconography that was to have a long future. The Serpent, representing Satan, is twined round the bottom of the cross.
The two sides can be taken to represent Church and state, fittingly for an imperial donation that was carried in front of the Holy Roman Emperors as they processed into the church. Clark declares that it could be “convincingly argued that Western civilization was basically the creation of the Church” and that the simple etched engraving of the crucifixion on the back, is “one of the most moving objects that has come down to us from the distant past.”
i have seen this episode of "Civilisation: A Personal View by Kenneth Clark." the entire series is a monument. Kenneth Clark was an unlikely presenter but turned out to be the only person who had the passion for the subject matter to do this series justice.
