Pendant with the Virgin and Child
c. 1160–1170
Medium
gilded copper, champlevé enamel; the reverse decorated in vernis brun
Dimensions
19.8 × 17 × 3.2 cm
Classification
Enamel
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1926.428
Tags
About this artwork
This pendant was made in the Rhine-Meuse region—now in modern Belgium—renowned for the production of fine metalwork objects, especially enamels. An enamel plaque depicting the enthroned Virgin and Christ child dominates the pendant. Four peripheral enamels depict angelic figures representing virtues: Humility, Virginity, Piety, and Mercy, each identified by an inscription. The pendant may have been made to serve as a reliquary to house a consecrated host. The refined craftsmanship and costly mat...