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Source Description
This pendant consists of colorful translucent enamel over an incised gold ground, a technique known as <em>basse-taille</em>, which simulates stained glass. For its owner this pendant was both for private devotion and a deluxe accessory. Made to be worn around the neck or suspended on a bed curtain, the pendant is shaped as a miniature triptych (three-panel painting) with wings or shutters that could be opened and closed. The outer surfaces are decorated with two prophets. The remaining images include various scenes from the life of Christ. <br><br> Small objects played a key role in private piety. Within this domain of personal spirituality, images were used to venerate and invoke Christ and his saints, as well as to meditate on the most important mysteries of faith or events from the story of salvation. Pious men and women began outfitting rooms in their homes where "one can pray well." Small portable deluxe objects such as ivories, enamel plaques, and jeweled pendants were critical ingredients in this experience of faith.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
125587
label
Pendant Triptych with an Onyx Cameo of the Nativity
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
125587
contentType
object
title
Pendant Triptych with an Onyx Cameo of the Nativity
description
This pendant consists of colorful translucent enamel over an incised gold ground, a technique known as <em>basse-taille</em>, which simulates stained glass. For its owner this pendant was both for private devotion and a deluxe accessory. Made to be worn around the neck or suspended on a bed curtain, the pendant is shaped as a miniature triptych (three-panel painting) with wings or shutters that could be opened and closed. The outer surfaces are decorated with two prophets. The remaining images include various scenes from the life of Christ. <br><br> Small objects played a key role in private piety. Within this domain of personal spirituality, images were used to venerate and invoke Christ and his saints, as well as to meditate on the most important mysteries of faith or events from the story of salvation. Pious men and women began outfitting rooms in their homes where "one can pray well." Small portable deluxe objects such as ivories, enamel plaques, and jeweled pendants were critical ingredients in this experience of faith.
date
c. 1460–1500; cameo: c. 1250–1300
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60746527
genreSpecific
Enamel
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 5.8 x 2 cm (2 5/16 x 13/16 in.); Part 1: 4.5 x 3.5 cm (1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in.)
cul
Pendant: France, Paris or Tours; Cameo: Italy, 13th-15th century
accession
1947.508
Source extras
tec
basse-taille enamel on gold; onyx cameo
tombstone
Pendant Triptych with an Onyx Cameo of the Nativity, c. 1460–1500; cameo: c. 1250–1300. Pendant: France, Paris or Tours; Cameo: Italy, 13th-15th century. Basse-taille enamel on gold; onyx cameo; overall: 5.8 x 2 cm (2 5/16 x 13/16 in.); part 1: 4.5 x 3.5 cm (1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1947.508
collection
MED - Gothic
inscriptions
inscription
on the outside shutters, the two Prophets hold scrolls with inscriptions on them.
citations
citation
Milliken, William M. "Exhibition of Gold." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 34, no. 9 (1947).
page_number
p. 22
citation
Evans, Joan.<em> A History of Jewellery, 1100-1870</em>. London: Faber and Faber, 1953.
page_number
p.79, pl. 33a
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. 178
citation
Milliken, William M. "Early Byzantine Silver." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 45, no. 3 (1958).
page_number
p. 56
citation
"Gothic Art 1360-1440." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 50, no. 7 (1963).
page_number
p. 177, fig. 34
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. 75
citation
Wixom, William D. <em>Treasures from Medieval France</em>. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967.
page_number
p. 322 Cat No. VII 15
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. 75
citation
Brown University. Transformations of the Court Style: Gothic Art in Europe, 1270 to 1330 : an Exhibition by the Department of Art, Brown University at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, February 2 Through February 27, 1977. [Providence, R.I.]: The Department, 1977.
page_number
p. 80, Cat. No. 27
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. 84
citation
Wypyski, Mark T. "Preliminary Compositional Study of 14th and 15th C. European Enamels" <em>TECHNE </em>6 (1997).
page_number
p. 49, Fig. 4
citation
Carlier, Marie-Amélie. Art du Moyen Âge en Europe. Paris : Brimo de Laroussilhe, 2022.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 128
citation
Bianchi, Pamela. Displaying Art in the Early Modern Period: Exhibiting Practices and Exhibition Spaces. New York : Routledge, 2023.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 119, fig. 7.2
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:29:17.209000
sourceId
125587
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Gothic
med
basse-taille enamel on gold; onyx cameo
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
c2f3025c2830176c