Medallion with Saint Matthew from an Icon Frame

Unknown

ca. 1100 · Gold, silver, and enamel worked in cloisonné · Medieval Art

These nine medallions are from a group of twelve that once surrounded an icon of the archangel Gabriel. The medallions may have been sent as a gift from the Byzantine court to the neighboring Christian state of Georgia. The three medallions across the top form a Deesis, with Christ between the Virgin and Saint John the Forerunner (the Baptist). Below is the hierarchy of the Church: apostles (Saints Peter and Paul), evangelists (Saints Matthew and Luke), theologians (Saint John the Theologian), and, across the base, military saints (Saint George).

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1100

Medium

Gold, silver, and enamel worked in cloisonné

Culture

Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917