Gold Cross Pendant
Unknown Artist
500–700
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
Overall: 3 9/16 x 2 11/16 x 1/2in. (9 x 6.8 x 1.2cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of John C. Weber, 2006
Accession Number
2006.569
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Gold Cross Pendant, crafted by an unknown Byzantine artisan between 500 and 700 CE, exemplifies the early medieval fusion of faith, artistry, and luxury. Measuring just 3 9/16 x 2 11/16 x 1/2 inches, its delicate gold form was likely worn as personal jewelry, hanging from a chain close to the heart. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Medieval Art Department a gift from John C Weber in 2006, it reflects the Byzantine Empire's golden age, when Constantinople bridged Roman grandeur and Christian devotion. In Byzantine culture, crosses like this were potent symbols of protecti...