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Reliquary Cross with Mary, Mother of God, and Five Cavities for Jewels
Circa 8th-11th Century AD
Description: Top half of a bronze reliquary cross (enkolpion) depicting a full-length central figure (Mary, Mother of God) with flowing robe neatly incised. The head is surrounded with a nimbus, and inscribed above. Five depressed cavities decorate the cross and would have originally held a paste or glass inlay. A large and less common type. From Anatolia or Constantinople. Very interesting type.
Height: 3.0 in. (7.6 cm)
Condition: Intact with light earthy deposits. Minor loss to the bottom of the punched cavities. Top hinge broken away.
Inscribed:
ΜΡ / ΘΥ
= μ(ήτη)ρ θ(εο)ῦMother of God
Reference: The type is listed in Pitarakis, #346.Provenance: Formerly in the collection of the Boston scholar Carroll Wales, collected 1952-1970.
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