Shell Cross

300–700

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 300

Large numbers of these modest crosses survive, many of them found in burials.
Crosses were everywhere in the early Byzantine world. They marked religious, secular, and domestic buildings, public works, clothes and jewelry, and objects in the home. The cross was a sign of Christ's triumph over death and the hope of eternal life and was frequently ascribed apotropaic, or protective, powers by the faithful.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Shell Cross
Date: 300–700
Geography: Made in Northern France
Culture: Byzantine
Medium: Shell
Dimensions: Overall: 1 1/2 x 1 1/4 x 3/16 in. (3.8 x 3.2 x 0.5 cm)
Classification: Miscellaneous-Shell
Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number: 17.191.200
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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