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Source Description
Mounted at the center of this octagonal pendant is a rare coin issued by Constantine the Great, the Roman Empire’s first Christian emperor. Constantine’s portrait appears on the coin’s front, those of two of his sons on the back. Constantine’s image is surrounded by male and female busts, some of which are mythological figures. The pendant once formed the centerpiece of a sumptuous gold necklace, likely a gift for a high-ranking court official or member of the imperial family.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
157568
label
Octagonal Pendant
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
157568
contentType
object
title
Octagonal Pendant
description
Mounted at the center of this octagonal pendant is a rare coin issued by Constantine the Great, the Roman Empire’s first Christian emperor. Constantine’s portrait appears on the coin’s front, those of two of his sons on the back. Constantine’s image is surrounded by male and female busts, some of which are mythological figures. The pendant once formed the centerpiece of a sumptuous gold necklace, likely a gift for a high-ranking court official or member of the imperial family.
date
324–26 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60761551
genreSpecific
Jewelry
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 9.7 x 9.4 x 1.7 cm (3 13/16 x 3 11/16 x 11/16 in.)
cul
Byzantium, Late Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, (probably Sirium or Nicomedia), Byzantine period
accession
1994.98.1
Source extras
tec
gold
tombstone
Octagonal Pendant, 324–26 CE. Byzantium, Late Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, (probably Sirium or Nicomedia), Byzantine period. Gold; overall: 9.7 x 9.4 x 1.7 cm (3 13/16 x 3 11/16 x 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1994.98.1
collection
MED - Byzantine
didYouKnow
Precious Byzantine coins, such as the one in this pendant, were mounted as jewelry and bestowed upon court officials as a special honor. They signified loyalty to the emperor and were often passed down as family heirlooms. Does your family have special objects that have been preserved from generation to generation?
citations
citation
Deppert-Lippitz, Barbara. "Late Roman Splendor: Jewelry from the Age of Constantine." <em>Cleveland Studies in the History of Art</em> 1 (1996): 30-71.
page_number
Reproduced: P. 31, fig. 1; P. 33, fig. 2a; P. 34, fig. 2b
url
www.jstor.org/stable/20079681.
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. <em>Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. </em>Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 42-43, no. 4
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 258
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:11:59.051000
sourceId
157568
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Byzantine
med
gold
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
fd627aba697d5e96