Element of an Icon Frame
Unknown Artist
11th century
Medium
Cloisonné enamel, gold, copper
Dimensions
Overall: 3/8 x 1 1/16 x 1/16 in. (1 x 2.7 x 0.2 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Cloisonné
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.650
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Element of an Icon Frame crafted in the 11th century during the height of the Byzantine Empire, a glimpse into the opulent world of medieval religious art. Measuring just 3/8 x 1 1/16 x 1/16 inches, this tiny fragment once adorned the border of a sacred icon—a painted image of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint venerated in Orthodox Christianity. Produced in Constantinople or a related workshop, it exemplifies Byzantine mastery in creating luxurious objects for churches and monasteries, where such frames elevated holy images to divine splendor. The artwork's medium—cloisonné e...