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Pilgrim's Ampulla with the Crucifixion (front)

c. 600

Byzantium, Palestine, early Byzantine period, early 7th Century

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Medium
tin-lead alloy with leather fragments
Measurements
Overall: 6.3 x 4.6 x 1.5 cm (2 1/2 x 1 13/16 x 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1999.46.a
Public Domain
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Location
105 Byzantine
Print

Description

The images found on the sides of surviving lead pilgrims' ampullae include scenes relating to the life of Christ, and by extension to the holy sites (loca sancta) where the events took place. Cast into the sides of this ampulla are scenes of Christ's Crucifixion on the front and the Ascension on the back. The use of such sacred images on these vessels illustrates the early Christian belief that images were carriers of divine power. This ampulla is known as a "Monza" or "Bobbio" type after caches of similar examples discovered in those two Italian towns.
A weathered metal vessel features a circular body and short, flared neck. The dark, pitted surface is edged with brown leather on the right. In central low-relief, Christ hangs on a cross, his head framed by a circular halo. Standing figures flank him, while two smaller forms crouch at the cross's base. A ring of Greek lettering follows the vessel's curved edge, surrounding the worn scene.

Pilgrim's Ampulla with the Crucifixion (front)

c. 600

Byzantium, Palestine, early Byzantine period, early 7th Century

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