Object Description
A framed half of a Byzantine bronze reliquary cross, known as enkolpion, which in its entirety would feature a hinged base and a barrel-shaped suspension loop at the top to wear on a chain. The cross is one half of the pendant, decorated with images typical of Christian iconography. The piece depicts a crucified Christ between small figures of the Virgin Mary and St. John. His arms are outstretched upon the cross and a halo shines around his drooping head. He wears a collobium (a sleeveless or short-sleeved garment) with two clavi (bands), an iconographic type established in the early Christian centuries. An inscription is carved beneath each outstretched arm. Written in abbreviated Greek, it reads: ΙΔΕΟΥCCΟΥ, ΙΔOΥCΜΗΡCΟΥ (IDEOUSSOU, IDOUSMETERSOU), translating to “Behold your son, Behold your mother”. Above his head, is a cross executed in low relief, together with a sun disc and a crescent moon. The enkolpion has been placed inside the frame.
Circa 8th-10th Century AD
NB: Measurements include the frame.