Painted Reliquary Box with Scenes from the Life of John the Baptist

COLLECTION NAME:

The AMICA Library

mediaCollectionId

AMICO~1~1

The AMICA Library

Collection

true

AMICA ID:

CMA_.1999.229.a-b

amicoid

CMA_.1999.229.a-b

AMICA ID

false

AMICA Library Year:

2001

aly

2001

AMICA Library Year

false

Object Type:

Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects

oty

Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects

Object Type

false

Creator Nationality:

Byzantine

crc

Byzantine

Creator Nationality

false

Creator Name-CRT:

Byzantium, 14th century

crt

Byzantium, 14th century

Creator Name-CRT

false

Title:

Painted Reliquary Box with Scenes from the Life of John the Baptist

otn

Painted Reliquary Box with Scenes from the Life of John the Baptist

Title

false

Title Type:

Primary

ott

Primary

Title Type

false

View:

Full View

rid

Full View

View

false

Creation Date:

1300s

oct

1300s

Creation Date

false

Creation Start Date:

1300

ocs

1300

Creation Start Date

false

Creation End Date:

1400

oce

1400

Creation End Date

false

Materials and Techniques:

tempera and gold on wood

omd

tempera and gold on wood

Materials and Techniques

false

Classification Term:

Wood

clt

Wood

Classification Term

false

Dimensions:

Overall: 23.5cm x 9.9cm x 9cm

met

Overall: 23.5cm x 9.9cm x 9cm

Dimensions

false

AMICA Contributor:

The Cleveland Museum of Art

oon

The Cleveland Museum of Art

AMICA Contributor

false

Owner Location:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

oop

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Owner Location

false

ID Number:

1999.229.a

ooa

1999.229.a

ID Number

false

ID Number:

1999.229.b

ooa

1999.229.b

ID Number

false

Credit Line:

Gift of Bruce Ferrini in memory of Robert P. Bergman

ooc

Gift of Bruce Ferrini in memory of Robert P. Bergman

Credit Line

false

Rights:

http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html

orl

<a href="http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html"target="_new">http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html</a>

Rights

false

Context:

The two long sides of this small chest are divided into four sections, each with a scene from the life of Saint John the Baptist: 1) The Visitation and Annunciation to Zacharias; 2) The Birth of John the Baptist; 3) The Baptism of Christ; and 4) The Martyrdom of John the Baptist. These scenes suggest that the box was originally intended to hold a relic, now lost, of this saint.Ivory in Byzantine ArtIvory, usually obtained from elephant tusks, can be carved and polished with delicate precision, and its natural luster, subtle grain, and color grow richer with age. The Romans greatly admired ivory as a material for small-scale carvings. Yet because ivory was very difficult and costly to obtain, it was generally accessible only to wealthy or high-ranking individuals. Appreciation for this luxury material continued in Early Christian and Byzantine art.Though sometimes used for grand objects, such as bishop's thrones, ivory was favored mainly for book covers, portable icons, and a variety of small con-tainers. Like textiles, jewels, and manuscripts, ivories were easily transported, so they contributed to the spread of Byzantine artistic styles over a wide area.

cxd

The two long sides of this small chest are divided into four sections, each with a scene from the life of Saint John the Baptist: 1) The Visitation and Annunciation to Zacharias; 2) The Birth of John the Baptist; 3) The Baptism of Christ; and 4) The Martyrdom of John the Baptist. These scenes suggest that the box was originally intended to hold a relic, now lost, of this saint.Ivory in Byzantine ArtIvory, usually obtained from elephant tusks, can be carved and polished with delicate precision, and its natural luster, subtle grain, and color grow richer with age. The Romans greatly admired ivory as a material for small-scale carvings. Yet because ivory was very difficult and costly to obtain, it was generally accessible only to wealthy or high-ranking individuals. Appreciation for this luxury material continued in Early Christian and Byzantine art.Though sometimes used for grand objects, such as bishop's thrones, ivory was favored mainly for book covers, portable icons, and a variety of small con-tainers. Like textiles, jewels, and manuscripts, ivories were easily transported, so they contributed to the spread of Byzantine artistic styles over a wide area.

Context

false

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Painted Reliquary Box with Scenes from the Life of John the Baptist