id:			128101
accession number:	1951.114
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1951.114
updated:		2019-11-18 10:28:25.734000

Ivory Pyx (Box), 500s. Byzantium. Ivory; diameter: 12.7 cm (5 in.); overall: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1951.114

title:				Ivory Pyx (Box)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			500s
creation date earliest:		500
creation date latest:		599
current location:		105 Byzantine
creditline:			Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Byzantium
technique:	ivory
department:	Medieval Art
collection:	MED - Byzantine
type:		Ivory
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Diameter: 12.7 cm (5 in.); Overall: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		35th Anniversary Exhibition
	opening date:   1951-06-20T04:00:00
	<i>35th Anniversary Exhibition</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-September 30, 1951).

	title:		When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story
	opening date:   1981-12-01T05:00:00
	<i>When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	the pyx was found in Lyons during the demolition of the Church of Saint-Étienne adjoining the Cathedral of Saint-Jean.  Forgotten, hidden, it emerged as the choice object in a family collection in Lyons.  According to W. M. Milliken, tradition says that to satisfy a family heritage it was eventually divided into three parts, roughly one third, which was in the collection of M. G. Chalandon (the piece bought in 1951 by the CMA), and the remaining two thirds which went into the Récamier collection, and then into the collection of Claudius Côte (purchased by the CMA in 1952).
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
Elaborately carved from a section of an elephant’s tusk, this ivory pyx (Greek for "box") depicts a number of New Testament scenes, namely the Annunciation, Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, Christ raising Lazarus, and Christ healing the blind man. It also depicts a Christian altar with chalices, possibly indicating the box’s use in a liturgical context.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 64
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n25

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 37
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n61

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 37
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n59

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 38
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n58

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1951.114/1951.114_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1951.114/1951.114_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1951.114/1951.114_full.tif