Necklace and Pendant Cross
Unknown Artist
500–700
Medium
Rock crystal, silver mount
Dimensions
(a) necklace only: length 26 in. × 7/16 in. (length 66 × 1.1 cm) (b) cross with silver mount: 3 3/8 × 1 5/8 × 1/2 in. (8.6 × 4.1 × 1.3 cm) (b) rock crystal cross only: 2 7/8 × 1 5/8 × 1/2 in. (7.3 × 4.1 × 1.3 cm)
Classification
Lapidary Work-Crystal
Culture
Coptic
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1908
Accession Number
08.202.27a, b
About this artwork
This rock crystal cross suspended from a beaded necklace exemplifies early Christian devotional jewelry from Coptic Egypt. Created between 500 and 700 CE, during the period of Byzantine rule over Egypt, this assemblage demonstrates the continuation of ancient Egyptian lapidary traditions in Christian contexts. The cross, carved from clear rock crystal and fitted with a silver mount, represents one of Christianity's central symbols rendered in a material prized for its purity and translucence. Ro...