Pectoral Crucifix

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Pectoral Crucifix

Period Byzantine Empire (Byzantine, 395 CE-1453 CE)

Place of OriginByzantine Empire, likely Syria or Palestine

Date6th century

Dimensions2 1/8 × 1 5/8 × 3/8 in. (5.4 × 4.1 × 1 cm)

MediumSilver (repoussé)

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1959.126

Not on View

DescriptionA silver pectoral cross formed from two sheets of metal joined at the edges, featuring a cylindrical suspension loop at the top. The obverse displays a high-relief repoussé figure of Christ crucified. Christ is depicted as bearded and wearing a long tunic (colobium) that reaches his ankles. His arms are spread horizontally, and his feet are supported by a suppedaneum (footrest). Above the head of Christ is a tabula ansata inscribed with the Greek letters "XC" (Christos). The reverse is undecorated but features a circular aperture at the center, likely for the insertion or viewing of a relic.

Exhibition HistoryThe Dayton Art Institute, The Roman World: Religions and Everyday Life (featuring the Brooklyn Museum exhibition: Tree of Paradise: Jewish Mosaics from the Roman Empire), September 21, 2007 - January 6, 2008 (no catalogue).