The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Octagonal Pendant

Octagonal Pendant

324–26 CE
(probably Sirium or Nicomedia)
gold
Overall: 9.7 x 9.4 x 1.7 cm (3 13/16 x 3 11/16 x 11/16 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1994.98.1
Location: 104 Late Antiquity

Did You Know?

Precious Byzantine coins, such as the one in this pendant, were mounted as jewelry and bestowed upon court officials as a special honor. They signified loyalty to the emperor and were often passed down as family heirlooms. Does your family have special objects that have been preserved from generation to generation?

Description

Mounted at the center of this octagonal pendant is a rare coin issued by Constantine the Great, the Roman Empire’s first Christian emperor. Constantine’s portrait appears on the coin’s front, those of two of his sons on the back. Constantine’s image is surrounded by male and female busts, some of which are mythological figures. The pendant once formed the centerpiece of a sumptuous gold necklace, likely a gift for a high-ranking court official or member of the imperial family.
  • (Mr. Jean-Luc Chalmin, London)
  • Deppert-Lippitz, Barbara. "Late Roman Splendor: Jewelry from the Age of Constantine." Cleveland Studies in the History of Art 1 (1996): 30-71. Reproduced: P. 31, fig. 1; P. 33, fig. 2a; P. 34, fig. 2b 20079681.
    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. 42-43, no. 4
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 258
  • 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"
  • {{cite web|title=Octagonal Pendant|url=false|author=|year=324–26 CE|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1994.98.1