Basic Christian Cross Wooden Veneer Maple Rosewood Tile

A while back, as part of a commission job, I made a cross fleury for a christening invite design, a cross with lily-flower like heraldic flourishes at the points. I found it quite elegant and nice and I made a range of designs using it. For a while I have thought about making just a very basic cross, though. Nothing fancy, just nice, clean lines and proportions based on the golden ratio (1:1.618). It is such a powerful and enduring symbol even in its most basic and minimalist form. Interestingly, the cross wasn’t used by Christians until a few hundred years after the death of Christ on the cross. As far as they were concerned, the cross was an uncomfortable reminder of the humiliation of the Romans giving the innocent Jesus the death of a petty criminal. Indeed, the first recorder use of it as a symbol was by a pagan Roman using it as an insult. Later on it was adopted by Christians and became a strong symbol of faith, unity and reverence, one of the most iconic and enduring symbols to this day, for some a symbol of community, and of spreading the Word, for others of a more personal belief – but always powerful and instantly recognisable. Without any flourishes or embellishments, I think this basic design doesn’t have the potential to distract from the symbolic meaning of itself, and so, in a way - and despite the fact that I certainly will make other designs eventually, celebrating the wider aesthetic possibilities of this indomitable and timeless symbol - this is arguably the most powerful cross there is.