Kreuzmuster

Kreuzmuster is a decorative design motif consisting of crosses or cross-shaped elements arranged in a repeating pattern. The motif can be composed of plus-shaped units or X-shaped units and is used in a range of media, including textiles, ceramics, metalwork, wallpaper, and architectural ornament.

In textile design, Kreuzmuster often appears as a tessellated grid where each cross is aligned to its neighbors, producing a geometric lattice that can serve as a background or frame for other motifs. In tilework and ceramics, it is common in traditional European and Mediterranean decorative arts, appearing in Delftware and majolica, as well as in Moorish-influenced tiling patterns; it also occurs in traditional textiles and embroideries.

In heraldry and graphic design the cross motif may be stylized, interlaced, or reduced to simple crosses. Historical origin is broad and cross-based patterns occur in many cultures; in Europe they appear in medieval and Renaissance decorative arts, while Islamic geometrical patterns provide related cross-like tessellations in a different formal tradition. Variants include the Greek cross, Latin cross, and Maltese cross families, which can be incorporated as individual elements within broader Kreuzmuster fields. The term Kreuzmuster is primarily descriptive, denoting a family of patterns rather than a single standardized design.