Object Description
A stunning and large Byzantine gold cross, inset with an emerald plasma cabochon and featuring a striking openwork design. The cross displays four arms of equal length, with a rounded shape reminiscent of an elongated heart, that widen towards the ends. The arms are decorated with a dotted outer border and the negative space within is filled with scrolls, hoops, and granulation. S-shaped scrolls widen to fill the arms of the cross and lead to a pair of hoop-shaped scrolls at the ends, enriched with triangular groups of three granules. There is a large loop for suspension at the top of the cross, with additional, smaller suspension loops at the end of the other three arms, suggesting that the cross may have had additional beads or pendants attached in antiquity. Each of the three small suspension loops is flanked on both sides by a small granule. The arms of the cross radiate out from a central cabochon made of emerald plasma, inset in a high, circular bezel. Between each arm, heart-shaped scrolls, with a small granule at the meeting point of the two scrolls, create further ornate details to this pendant cross. The reverse of the bezel is flat and unworked. A beautiful example of Byzantine goldsmith art.
Date: Circa 5th-7th Century AD