Two-sided ivory panaghiarion

Two-sided ivory panaghiarion carved with a representation of the Virgin, and scenes from the Old Testament and the Hospitality of Abraham. The inscription on the silver-gilt mount informs us that it belonged to the Metropolitan of Nikomedeia, Neophytos. Initially, panaghiaria were liturgical articles used in monastic services in honour of the Mother of God, the Panaghia; in post-Byzantine times they became hieratic pectorals. 1624-1639. Diam 0.07 m. (ΓΕ 10400)