id: 142025 accession number: 1965.551 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1965.551 updated: 2022-01-04 16:34:19.430000 Monogram of Christ (Chrismon), 500s. Byzantium, Syria, early Byzantine period, 6th century. Gold sheet, gold wire, and garnets; overall: 14.8 x 12.1 x 0.7 cm (5 13/16 x 4 3/4 x 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Lillian M. Kern 1965.551 title: Monogram of Christ (Chrismon) 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: Gift of Lillian M. Kern copyright: --- culture: Byzantium, Syria, early Byzantine period, 6th century technique: gold sheet, gold wire, and garnets department: Medieval Art collection: MED - Byzantine type: Metalwork find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 14.8 x 12.1 x 0.7 cm (5 13/16 x 4 3/4 x 1/4 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art opening date: 2007-05-10T00:00:00 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). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * CMA: "Golden Anniversary Acquisition."
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" --- PROVENANCE (Comte Xavier du Puytison, Paris); Lillian M. Kern, Cleveland, Heights, Ohio. date: footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: This image combines chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters of Christ's name in Greek. The materials also had symbolic meaning, from the kingly gold to the deep, blood red of the garnets evoking his sacrifice. digital description: wall description: The superimposed Greek letters chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ’s name, was a popular early Christian symbol. The monogram of Christ, or chrismon, is also a powerful symbol of imperial victory: it appeared to Emperor Constantine the Great before his battle against Maxentius in ad 312, promising victory in the name of Christ. Made of gold sheet and decorated with three garnets, it may have formed the center of a golden wreath, serving as a protective device and an emblem of Christian triumph. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. page number: Reproduced: p. 39 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n63 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. page number: Reproduced: p. 39 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n61 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. page number: Reproduced: p. 40 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n60 Pentcheva, Bissera V. Hagia Sophia: Sound, Space, and Spirit in Byzantium. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017. page number: Reproduced: p. 90, fig. 42 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1965.551/1965.551_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1965.551/1965.551_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1965.551/1965.551_full.tif