by Artist (14)
Open Access
Medallion, St. Nicholas
Artist: Unknown Byzantine Artist Primary
Date:
11th century
16th century
Dimensions:
1.31 x 0.75 x 0.06 in. (3.33 x 1.91 x 0.16 cm)
Object Type:
Medal
Creation Place:
Europe, Georgia
Medium and Support:
Cloisonné enamel, gold
Credit Line:
Lent by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.663)
Accession Number:
L2010.01.05
On View:
Bellarmine Hall Galleries
St. Nicholas, fourth-century Bishop of Myra (Turkey), is the patron saint of children, sailors, prisoners awaiting execution, and endangered travelers. On the medallion, he is giving a sign of blessing. Byzantine goldsmiths developed tools and a precise technique to create some of the finest enamels. Cloisonné enamels are made by filling small cells formed by gold wire, called cloisons, with glass powder and firing in a kiln. Here, St. Nicholas is made from eight distinct colors – ten colors are the maximum seen in one enameled image in this period. Unlike other medallions that would have been worn around the neck, the drilled holes show that this would have been fastened to the cover of a religious book, framing a central icon image. It was probably created in a monastery in the country of Georgia.
Keywords
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medals
Small pieces of metal, usually gold, silver, or bronze and bearing a relief design on one or both sides and having a commemorative purpose; resembling a coin, but not used as a medium of exchange.
Small pieces of metal, usually gold, silver, or bronze and bearing a relief design on one or both sides and having a commemorative purpose; resembling a coin, but not used as a medium of exchange.
public domain
Land owned and controlled by the state or federal government. Also, the status of publications, products, and processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.
Land owned and controlled by the state or federal government. Also, the status of publications, products, and processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.
Byzantine
Culture, style, and period of the Christian states of the eastern Mediterranean during the rule of the Byzantine Empire (330 - 1453 CE). Byzantine art and culture was carried throughout much of the Christian world, and lasted into the 16th century in eastern Europe. The style is characterized by imperial and religious subject matter, and a movement away from the original Greek naturalistic forms to favor ritualistic stylization, intended to suggest the spiritual. For the culture and style of the Italian and western Mediterranean Christian world roughly from the third to the mid-ninth century CE, use "Early Christian."
Culture, style, and period of the Christian states of the eastern Mediterranean during the rule of the Byzantine Empire (330 - 1453 CE). Byzantine art and culture was carried throughout much of the Christian world, and lasted into the 16th century in eastern Europe. The style is characterized by imperial and religious subject matter, and a movement away from the original Greek naturalistic forms to favor ritualistic stylization, intended to suggest the spiritual. For the culture and style of the Italian and western Mediterranean Christian world roughly from the third to the mid-ninth century CE, use "Early Christian."
Christianity
Refers to the world religion and culture that developed in the first century CE, driven by the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Its roots are in the Judaic tradition and the Old Testament. The tenets include a belief in the death and redemptive resurrection of Jesus. The religion incorporates a tradition of faith, ritual, and a form of church authority or leadership.
Refers to the world religion and culture that developed in the first century CE, driven by the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Its roots are in the Judaic tradition and the Old Testament. The tenets include a belief in the death and redemptive resurrection of Jesus. The religion incorporates a tradition of faith, ritual, and a form of church authority or leadership.
cloisonné
A technique of enameling in which the design is laid down in thin metal strips on a metal or porcelain ground, forming chambers (cloisons) to receive the vitreous enamel pastes.
A technique of enameling in which the design is laid down in thin metal strips on a metal or porcelain ground, forming chambers (cloisons) to receive the vitreous enamel pastes.
Portfolio List
This object is a member of the following portfolios:
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