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Jan 7, 2009

Ivory Pyx (Box)

500s

Byzantium

Ivory

Diameter: 12.7 cm (5 in.); Overall: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1951.114

Location

105 Byzantine

Description

Elaborately carved from a section of an elephant’s tusk, this ivory pyx (Greek for "box") depicts a number of New Testament scenes, namely the Annunciation, Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, Christ raising Lazarus, and Christ healing the blind man. It also depicts a Christian altar with chalices, possibly indicating the box’s use in a liturgical context.

Provenance

the pyx was found in Lyons during the demolition of the Church of Saint-Étienne adjoining the Cathedral of Saint-Jean. Forgotten, hidden, it emerged as the choice object in a family collection in Lyons. According to W. M. Milliken, tradition says that to satisfy a family heritage it was eventually divided into three parts, roughly one third, which was in the collection of M. G. Chalandon (the piece bought in 1951 by the CMA), and the remaining two thirds which went into the Récamier collection, and then into the collection of Claudius Côte (purchased by the CMA in 1952).

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 64 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 37 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 37 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 38 archive.org

Exhibition history

35th Anniversary Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-September 30, 1951).

Art of the Late Antique. The Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA (organizer) (December 17, 1968-February 16, 1969).

When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Ivory Pyx (Box)|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1951.114|year=500s|access-date=26 September 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Ivory Pyx (Box)

Ivory Pyx (Box)

Byzantium

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