Byzantine Empire, ca. 10th to 11th century CE. An incredible 24 karat gold pendant with deeply colorful cloisonné enamel depicting Christ. The letters "IC" and "CX" are on either side of Christ's head. He makes a sign of blessing with his hands, and has a deep blue robe and a green halo. This style of Byzantine pendant is known by the German word Vollschmelz, meaning "full melt" enamel, literally, enamel that covers the entire face. This is a more rare type of pendant than Senkschmelz ("sunk melt") enamel, which depicts enameled figures on a gold background. The pendant has a simple loop for suspension and is wearable today. Size: 1.1" W x 1.3" H (2.8 cm x 3.3 cm); total weight: 8.1 g.

The cloisonné technique in the Byzantine Empire developed during this time to have incredibly thin wires, allowing more precision and detail in depictions, primarily used for religious pendants - as here, with the small letters. The artisan would paste or solder wires (cloisons, from the French word for "partition"), onto the metal body of the pendant. They would then fill in between the wires with a colored enamel paste and fire it at a low temperature. Because enamel often shrinks when fired, the process could be repeated several times. Then the surface of the pendant would be polished until the leading edges of the cloisons appeared, creating fine gold borders in the image.

Byzantine cloisonné work was so beautiful that it inspired artisans throughout Migration period and medieval Europe. For example, two of the most famous objects from Anglo-Saxon England are cloisonné enamel and gold: the Alfred Jewel (Ashmolean Museum: AN1836p.135.371) and the Minster Lovell Jewel (Ashmolean Museum: AN1869.20), items so rare in post-Roman Europe that it seems likely based on the craftsmanship that they were made by the same workshop, probably the only one of its kind in England at the time, perhaps run by someone trained in or familiar with the enamel and gold work that was on display in Constantinople (see, for example, Metropolitan Museum: 17.190.678). As today, this religious pendant would have been a valuable, rare, and treasured item for its original owner.

Provenance: private New York City, New York, USA collection; previously from a private Munich, Germany collection, collected in the 1970s and 1980s

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#123104

Slight bending/wear to the gold edges. Enamel has light surface scratching but still looks bright, with very clear design, as shown. Cord shown in photograph not included.