Half of a Pendant Reliquary Cross

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The cross displays an incised image of the Virgin and Child. The inscription in Greek at the top identifies the Virgin as the Theotokos, Mother of God. The Christ Child with a nimbed halo representing his Crucifixion, appears on her breast. To her sides are busts of two figures, possibly evangelists or theologians who had written about her. This is half of a pendant relic container which, when complete, would have held a small relic, an object of devotion and a protection for the wearer. Similar cross reliquaries are found throughout the Byzantine Empire and beyond.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art