Spherical Pendant or Button

900–950

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 300

This handsomely worked, hollow sphere may have decorated the border of an official scarf, like the loros worn by the Byzantine emperor, or have been used as a button to hold together the outermost vestments of members of the Orthodox clergy. Similar works have been found at Preslav, the capital of the Bulgarian empire in the early tenth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Spherical Pendant or Button
Date: 900–950
Culture: Byzantine
Medium: Cloisonné enamel and gold
Dimensions: Overall: 1 1/4 x 1 1/8 in. (3.2 x 2.9 cm)
Classification: Enamels-Cloisonné
Credit Line: Purchase, The Kurt Berliner Foundation Gift, 2003
Object Number: 2003.155
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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