Silver Cross

Unknown

500–700 · Silver, niello · Medieval Art

This elegant silver cross has flared arms ending in serifs. Similar crosses were given to churches and shrines as votive gifts. Crosses were everywhere in the early Byzantine world. They marked religious, secular, and domestic buildings, public works, clothes and jewelry, and objects in the home. The cross was a sign of Christ's triumph over death and the hope of eternal life and was frequently ascribed apotropaic, or protective, powers by the faithful.

Artist

Unknown

Date

500–700

Medium

Silver, niello

Culture

Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1955