In this depiction of the Miracle of the Loaves (Mark 8:1–6), an enthroned Christ is flanked by Saints Peter and Paul. Other disciples carry the loaves of bread he has miraculously produced to feed the multitude, loaves that the early church associated with the bread of the Eucharist. It is possible that containers like this were used in connection with the Divine Liturgy.
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Pyxis
Artwork Details
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Title:Circular Box (Pyxis) with the Miracle of Christ’s Multiplication of the Loaves
Date:6th century
Geography:Made in Spain (lid); Made in North Africa (box)
Culture:Byzantine
Medium:Elephant ivory with polychromy
Dimensions:Overall (with lid): 3 1/2 x 4 3/8 x 5 1/2 in. (8.9 x 11.1 x 14 cm) Overall (without lid): 3 x 4 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. (7.6 x 10.8 x 13.3 cm) Top: 1/2 x 4 3/8 x 5 1/2 in. (1.3 x 11.1 x 14 cm)
Classification:Ivories-Elephant
Credit Line:Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number:17.190.34a, b
From San Pedro de la Rúa, Estella, Spain; [ E. Lowengard, London (sold 1905)]; J. Pierpont Morgan (American), London and New York (1905–1913); Estate of J. Pierpont Morgan(1913–1917)
Baltimore Museum of Art. "Early Christian and Byzantine art, an exhibition held at the Baltimore Museum of Art," April 25–June 22, 1947.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century," November 19, 1977–February 12, 1978.
Paderborn. Diözesanmuseum Paderborn. "CARITAS. The Virtue of Charity from the Early Christians to the Present," July 23, 2015–December 13, 2015.
Diözesanmuseum Paderborn. "CARITAS – Nächstenliebe von den frühen Christen bis zur Gegenwart," July 23–December 13, 2015.
New York. The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Spain, 1000–1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith," August 30, 2021–January 30, 2022.
Breck, Joseph, and Meyric R. Rogers. The Pierpont Morgan Wing: A Handbook. 1st ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1925. p. 44, fig. 22, ill. p. 45.
Capps, Edward, Jr. "An Ivory Pyxis in the Museo Cristiano and a Plaque from the Sancta Sanctorum." The Art Bulletin 9, no. 4 (June 1927). pp. 338–39, fig. 5.
Breck, Joseph, and Meyric R. Rogers. The Pierpont Morgan Wing: A Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1929. p. 44, fig. 22, ill. p. 45.
Miner, Dorothy, ed. Early Christian and Byzantine Art: An Exhibition Held at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 1947. no. 109, p. 41, pl. XIX.
Weitzmann, Kurt. "The Late Roman World." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 35, no. 2 (Autumn 1977). no. 80, pp. 90–91, fig. 80.
Weitzmann, Kurt, ed. Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1979. no. 549, pp. 613–14.
Frazer, Margaret English. "Medieval Church Treasuries." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 43, no. 3 (Winter 1985-1986). p. 11, fig. 4.
Randall Jr., Richard H. Masterpieces of Ivory from the Walters Art Gallery. Walters Art Gallery, 1985. pp. 80, 100.
Connor, Carolyn L. The Color of Ivory: Polychromy on Byzantine Ivories. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1998. p. 84.
McLachlan, Elizabeth Parker. "Liturgical Vessels and Implements." In The Liturgy of the Medieval Church, edited by Thomas J. Heffernan, and E. Ann Matter. Consortium for the Teaching of the Middle Ages. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Western Michigan University, 2005. pp. 396–397, fig. 5.
Stiegemann, Christoph, ed. CARITAS: Nächstenliebe von den frühen Christen bis zur Gegenwart. Paderborn: Diözesanmuseum Paderborn, 2015. no. 13, pp. 387–89.
Perratore, Julia. "The Art of Medieval Iberia at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Met Cloisters." La Corónica: A Journal of Medieval Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures 50, no. 1–2 (Fall 2021–Spring 2022). pp. 440–41, pl. 4.
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