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https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=4BDE42E97CD49EC16ECCF9816FC51F67CEA64D65AFD50492E438C9ADEF6F99F0&s=24247294&se=1905716243&v=3&f=1954.3_o2.jpg

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Nov 8, 2005

Necklace with Pendants

500s

Byzantium, Constantinople?, early Byzantine period, 6th century

Gold, garnets

Part 1: 56.5 cm (22 1/4 in.); Part 2: 4.5 x 3.1 x 1.6 cm (1 3/4 x 1 1/4 x 5/8 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1954.3

Location

104 Late Antiquity

Did you know?

Just as some of us wear jewelry associated with our particular faith, the original owner of this necklace proudly wore this cross a symbol of their Christian beliefs.

Description

Wearing richly decorated gold necklaces such as this one was a common practice among members of Byzantium’s upper classes. In addition to their use as personal adornments and symbols of social status, necklaces with cross pendants and capsules containing relics were also believed to function as powerful protective devices. Here, two hexagonal gold cylinders that may have enclosed either magical texts or holy substances flank a cross pendant on either side.

Provenance

(Mrs. Paul Mallon, New York).

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. 67 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. 38 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. 38 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. 39 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. NK1652.2 .S23 2007

Bagnoli, Martina. Treasures of heaven: saints, relics, and devotion in medieval Europe. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010. Reproduced: cat. no. 26, p. 24 - 25

Hahn, Cynthia J., Anna Beatriz Chadour-Sampson, and Sandra Hindman. The Thing of Mine I Have Loved the Best: Meaningful Jewels. London : Paul Holberton Publishing ; Paris : Les Enluminures, 2018. Reproduced and mentioned: pp. 72-73

Exhibition history

CMA, October 17, 2010 - January 17, 2011, Walters Art Museum February 13 - May 15, 2011, British Museum June 23 - October 9, 2011: "Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe," cat no.26.

Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).

Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 17, 2010-January 17, 2011); The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (February 13-May 15, 2011); The British Museum, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (June 23-October 9, 2011).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Necklace with Pendants|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1954.3|year=500s|access-date=26 September 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Necklace with Pendants

Necklace with Pendants

Byzantium, Constantinople?, early Byzantine period, 6th century

Location

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