These nine medallions are from a group of twelve that once surrounded an icon of the archangel Gabriel. The medallions may have been sent as a gift from the Byzantine court to the neighboring Christian state of Georgia. The three medallions across the top form a Deesis, with Christ between the Virgin and Saint John the Forerunner (the Baptist). Below is the hierarchy of the Church: apostles (Saints Peter and Paul), evangelists (Saints Matthew and Luke), theologians (Saint John the Theologian), and, across the base, military saints (Saint George).
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Group 17.190.670-.678
Artwork Details
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Title:Medallion with Saint George from an Icon Frame
Date:ca. 1100
Geography:Made in Constantinople
Culture:Byzantine
Medium:Gold, silver, and enamel worked in cloisonné
Dimensions:Diam: 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm) Mount: 20 1/2 x 15 x 7/8 in. (52.1 x 38.1 x 2.2 cm)
Classification:Enamels-Cloisonné
Credit Line:Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number:17.190.674
Inscription: Inscribed: In Greek, on each medallion, an identification of the figure represente : Jesus Christ, Mother of God, John the Precursor, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Matthew, Saint Luke, Saint John the Theologian, and Saint George.
Djumati Monastery, Georgia ; Alex W. von Zvenigorodskii, Russia (sold 1910 through Jacques Seligmann); J. Pierpont Morgan (American), London and New York (1910–1913)
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