The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Pendant Triptych with an Onyx Cameo of the Nativity

Pendant Triptych with an Onyx Cameo of the Nativity

c. 1460–1500; cameo: c. 1250–1300
basse-taille enamel on gold; onyx cameo
Overall: 5.8 x 2 cm (2 5/16 x 13/16 in.); Part 1: 4.5 x 3.5 cm (1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1947.508
Location: 110B Late Gothic

Description

This pendant consists of colorful translucent enamel over an incised gold ground, a technique known as basse-taille, which simulates stained glass. For its owner this pendant was both for private devotion and a deluxe accessory. Made to be worn around the neck or suspended on a bed curtain, the pendant is shaped as a miniature triptych (three-panel painting) with wings or shutters that could be opened and closed. The outer surfaces are decorated with two prophets. The remaining images include various scenes from the life of Christ.

Small objects played a key role in private piety. Within this domain of personal spirituality, images were used to venerate and invoke Christ and his saints, as well as to meditate on the most important mysteries of faith or events from the story of salvation. Pious men and women began outfitting rooms in their homes where "one can pray well." Small portable deluxe objects such as ivories, enamel plaques, and jeweled pendants were critical ingredients in this experience of faith.
  • Kremlin Moscow
    -1947
    (Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1947-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Milliken, William M. "Exhibition of Gold." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 34, no. 9 (1947). p. 22 www.jstor.org
    Evans, Joan. A History of Jewellery, 1100-1870. London: Faber and Faber, 1953. p.79, pl. 33a
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 178 archive.org
    Milliken, William M. "Early Byzantine Silver." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 45, no. 3 (1958). p. 56 www.jstor.org
    "Gothic Art 1360-1440." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 50, no. 7 (1963). p. 177, fig. 34 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 75 archive.org
    Wixom, William D. Treasures from Medieval France. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. p. 322 Cat No. VII 15 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 75 archive.org
    Brown University. Transformations of the Court Style: Gothic Art in Europe, 1270 to 1330 : an Exhibition by the Department of Art, Brown University at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, February 2 Through February 27, 1977. [Providence, R.I.]: The Department, 1977. p. 80, Cat. No. 27
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 84 archive.org
    Wypyski, Mark T. "Preliminary Compositional Study of 14th and 15th C. European Enamels" TECHNE 6 (1997). p. 49, Fig. 4
    Carlier, Marie-Amélie. Art du Moyen Âge en Europe. Paris : Brimo de Laroussilhe, 2022. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 128
    Bianchi, Pamela. Displaying Art in the Early Modern Period: Exhibiting Practices and Exhibition Spaces. New York : Routledge, 2023. Reproduced: p. 119, fig. 7.2
  • Treasures of Medieval France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1966-January 29, 1967).
    Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Pendant Triptych with an Onyx Cameo of the Nativity|url=false|author=|year=c. 1460–1500; cameo: c. 1250–1300|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.508