Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 5 pages
obj
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Source Description

This small circular box is a 'panaghiarion,' i.e. container for a piece of the 'panaghia' (bread) dedicated to the Virgin in an Orthodox monastic service (compare WAM inv. 71.257-258). The relief carving on the inside of the left half shows the Hospitality of Abraham (Genesis 18:1-15), or Old Testament Trinity. On the back, the side that would be worn outward, is an image of the Crucifixion.On the other half of the piece is an image of the Virgin of the Sign, a composition symbolizing the Immaculate Conception, in which an image of the young Christ Emmanuel is superimposed upon Mary's chest. The Virgin's upraised arms are an ancient gesture of prayer, encountered among both Jews and Gentiles. In early Christianity, this gesture also represented the soul, praying for those left behind on earth. On the back is an image of the Three Hierarchs, Saints Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil the Great, and John Chrysostom.Above the hinges, between the holes for suspension, is an engraved image of the Holy Face (or "Mandylion"), an image of Christ's face that, according to tradition, was miraculously imprinted upon a cloth and later sent by Christ to cure King Agbar of Edessa (a city in Syria).

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
10073
label
Pendant (Panaghiarion) with the Hospitality of Abraham, the Virgin Orans, and the Crucifixion
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
10073
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Pendant (Panaghiarion) with the Hospitality of Abraham, the Virgin Orans, and the Crucifixion
description
This small circular box is a 'panaghiarion,' i.e. container for a piece of the 'panaghia' (bread) dedicated to the Virgin in an Orthodox monastic service (compare WAM inv. 71.257-258). The relief carving on the inside of the left half shows the Hospitality of Abraham (Genesis 18:1-15), or Old Testament Trinity. On the back, the side that would be worn outward, is an image of the Crucifixion.On the other half of the piece is an image of the Virgin of the Sign, a composition symbolizing the Immaculate Conception, in which an image of the young Christ Emmanuel is superimposed upon Mary's chest. The Virgin's upraised arms are an ancient gesture of prayer, encountered among both Jews and Gentiles. In early Christianity, this gesture also represented the soul, praying for those left behind on earth. On the back is an image of the Three Hierarchs, Saints Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil the Great, and John Chrysostom.Above the hinges, between the holes for suspension, is an engraved image of the Holy Face (or "Mandylion"), an image of Christ's face that, according to tradition, was miraculously imprinted upon a cloth and later sent by Christ to cure King Agbar of Edessa (a city in Syria).
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1931, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, 1931, by bequest.
date
16th century (Early Modern)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Wood
boxes (containers)
pendants
liturgical objects
imageCount
5
pageCount
5
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
7.1
height
4.7
depth
1.8
dimensionsRaw
H: 2 13/16 × W: 1 7/8 × D: 11/16 in. (7.1 × 4.7 × 1.8 cm)
Source extras
cul
Russian
dynasty
Rurikid Dynasty
med
Ebony mounted in silver
creator_ids
6214
collection_ids
BYZ
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
af4831437ae630e1
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
42640db550432fbc
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
091d6ad44d160529
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
ae5b807cd41d05ec
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
49e3c43edcd3330c
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no