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Necklace with Pendants
500s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Wearing richly decorated gold necklaces such as this one was a common practice among members of Byzantium’s upper classes. In addition to their use as personal adornments and symbols of social status, necklaces with cross pendants and capsules containing relics were also believed to function as powerful protective devices. Here, two hexagonal gold cylinders that may have enclosed either magical texts or holy substances flank a cross pendant on either side.
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Details
- Title: Necklace with Pendants
- Date Created: 500s
- Physical Dimensions: Part 1: 56.5 cm (22 1/4 in.); Part 2: 4.5 x 3.1 x 1.6 cm (1 3/4 x 1 1/4 x 5/8 in.)
- Provenance: (Mrs. Paul Mallon, New York).
- Type: Metalwork
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1954.3
- Medium: gold, garnets
- Fun Fact: Just as some of us wear jewelry associated with our particular faith, the original owner of this necklace proudly wore this cross a symbol of their Christian beliefs.
- Department: Medieval Art
- Culture: Byzantium, Constantinople?, early Byzantine period, 6th century
- Credit Line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Collection: MED - Byzantine
- Accession Number: 1954.3
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