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Byzantine Art :
Byzantine Metalwork : Byzantine Bronze Plaque Depicting Christ
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Byzantine Bronze Plaque Depicting Christ - X.0156
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean
Circa: 6
th
Century AD
to 7
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
5" (12.7cm) high
Collection: Byzantine
Medium: Bronze
Additional Information: HK
£8,600.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
The shape and size of this bronze plaque suggest
that it would have once adorned the side of a
reliquary box or the front cover of a book. The image
of a young Christ crowned with a nimbus halo has
been gently hammered onto the surface of the
plaque in a technique known as repoussé. He stands
dressed in a tunic, holding an open book in his left
hand and gesturing with his right. Greek inscription
is present in the field on either side of his head.
Other similar plaques inscribed with prayers were
thought to have been votive offerings that were
nailed onto columns or inside niches of chapels.
There, they would continue to symbolize the physical
manifestation of the prayer. This bronze plaque
depicting a saint is a remnant from the Byzantine era,
when Christianity fully blossomed in Europe. Here,
ancient techniques of metalworking are combined
with Christian iconography, producing a work that is
both decorative and spiritual.
- (X.0156)
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