The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2025

Monogram of Christ (Chrismon)

500s
gold sheet, gold wire, and garnets
Overall: 14.8 x 12.1 x 0.7 cm (5 13/16 x 4 3/4 x 1/4 in.)
Gift of Lillian M. Kern 1965.551
Location: 105 Byzantine

Did You Know?

This image combines chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters of Christ's name in Greek. The materials also had symbolic meaning, from the kingly gold to the deep, blood red of the garnets evoking his sacrifice.

Description

The superimposed Greek letters chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ’s name, was a popular early Christian symbol. The monogram of Christ, or chrismon, is also a powerful symbol of imperial victory: it appeared to Emperor Constantine the Great before his battle against Maxentius in ad 312, promising victory in the name of Christ. Made of gold sheet and decorated with three garnets, it may have formed the center of a golden wreath, serving as a protective device and an emblem of Christian triumph.
  • (Comte Xavier du Puytison, Paris); Lillian M. Kern, Cleveland, Heights, Ohio.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 39 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. 39 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 40 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 66-67, no. 16
    Pentcheva, Bissera V. Hagia Sophia: Sound, Space, and Spirit in Byzantium. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017. Reproduced: p. 90, fig. 42
    Sánchez Galera, José María, and Gregorio Luri Medrano. La edad de las nueces: los niños en el Imperio Romano. Madrid : Ediciones Encuentro S.A., 2021. Reproduced: p. 235, fig. 31
  • Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).
    Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"
    CMA: "Golden Anniversary Acquisition."
  • {{cite web|title=Monogram of Christ (Chrismon)|url=false|author=|year=500s|access-date=22 March 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1965.551