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Source Description
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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
131719
label
Necklace with Pendants
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
131719
contentType
object
title
Necklace with Pendants
description
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.
date
500s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
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.)
cul
Byzantium, Constantinople?, early Byzantine period, 6th century
accession
1954.3
Source extras
tec
gold, garnets
tombstone
Necklace with Pendants, 500s. Byzantium, Constantinople?, early Byzantine period, 6th century. Gold, garnets; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1954.3
collection
MED - Byzantine
didYouKnow
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.
citations
citation
Milliken, William. "Byzantine Goldsmith Work." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>41, no. 8 (October 1954): 190-192.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 190
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 67
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 38
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 38
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 39
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
NK1652.2 .S23 2007
citation
Bagnoli, Martina. <em>Treasures of heaven: saints, relics, and devotion in medieval Europe</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. no. 26, p. 24 - 25
citation
Hahn, Cynthia J., Anna Beatriz Chadour-Sampson, and Sandra Hindman. <em>The Thing of Mine I Have Loved the Best: Meaningful Jewels.</em> London : Paul Holberton Publishing ; Paris : Les Enluminures, 2018.
page_number
Reproduced and mentioned: pp. 72-73
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:47:16.962000
sourceId
131719
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Byzantine
med
gold, garnets
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e760ffee19e4a8dc