Elaborately worked in cloisonné enamel, the lid of this box displays Christ on the cross wearing the colobium (sleeveless or short-sleeve tunic) associated with early images of the Crucifixion. Christ stands erect, his eyes wide open. His posture, the sun and the moon on either side of his head, and the flowers growing at the base of the cross express Christ’s triumph over death. Beside him the Virgin and John the Theologian raise their hands to their faces in a gesture of mourning. Twenty-seven busts of saints appear on the lid and sides of the box. Worked in niello on the undersurface of the lid are four scenes from the life of Christ—the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Anastasis (Descent into Hell). The interior of the box houses a cross-shaped container for the relic, with the remaining spaces possibly meant to contain other relics associated with the Holy Land. The patterns on the base resemble a book cover, perhaps a reference to the Gospels, which contain the story of the Crucifixion. The box is a testament to the sacrifice of Christ and the promise of salvation through his death.
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This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Lid, center: the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Theologian. Border, clockwise from upper left: Saint Demetrios, Saint Eustathios, Saint Lawrence, Luke, Mark, Thomas, James, Saint Damianos, Saint Kosmas, Saint Gregory the Miracle-Worker, Bartholomew, Matthew, Jude and Simon
Lid, underside: top, the Annunciation, the Nativity; bottom, the Crucifixion, the Anastasis (Descent into Hell)
Upper side: Saints Anastasios, Saint Nicholas
Right side: Saint Platon, Saint Theodore, Saint Prokopios, Saint George
Lower side: Saint Panteleimon, Saint Eustratios, Saint Merkourios
Left side: Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint John, Saint Andrew
Back of box
Interior
Interior
Ivory casket and enamel reliquary (17.190.238, 17.190.715a, b)
Artwork Details
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Title:The Fieschi Morgan Staurotheke
Date:early 9th century
Geography:Made in Constantinople (?)
Culture:Byzantine
Medium:Gilded silver, gold, enamel worked in cloisonné, and niello
Dimensions:Overall (with lid): 1 1/16 x 4 1/16 x 2 13/16 in. (2.7 x 10.3 x 7.1 cm) lid only: 2 13/16 x 3 7/8 x 1/8 in. (7.1 x 9.8 x 0.3 cm) vessel only: 7/8 x 2 15/16 x 4 in. (2.2 x 7.5 x 10.1 cm)
Classification:Enamels-Cloisonné
Credit Line:Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number:17.190.715a, b
Inscription: Inscribed in Greek: [On lid] Here is your son...Here is your Mother (on either side of Christ's head); Jesus; Mother of God; John; [on lid moving clockwise from upper left] Saint Demetrios; Saint Eustathios; Saint Lawrence; Luke; Mark; Thomas; James; Saint Damianos; Saint Kosmas; Saint Gregory the Miracle-Worker; Bartholomew; Matthew; Jude; Simon; [on side moving clockwise from upper left] Saint Anastasios; Saint Nicholas; Saint Platon; Saint Theodore; Saint Prokopios; Saint George; Saint Merkourios; Saint Eustratios; Saint Panteleimon; Saint Andrew; Saint John; Saint Paul; Saint Peter; [inside lid] Hail, full of grace!; The Nativity; Here is your son...Here is your mother.
Pope Innocent IV (Sinibaldo Fieschi)(r. 1243-54) and descendants (sold 1887); Baron Albert Oppenheim, Cologne(sold 1906); J. Pierpont Morgan (American), London and New York (1906-1917)
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