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"MOTHER OF GOD" SUPERBLY PRESERVED CHRISTIAN ROMAN BRONZE CROSS PENDANT 7th - 11th Century A.D. For the first time ever, we offer this very unique and seldom seen ancient Roman Byzantine bronze cross featuring the Mother of God, "The Virgin of the Sign". Imagery like this of the Virgin was second only to icons of Christ in the Byzantine church. In perfectly preserved detail, one can see a complete and intact engraved image of Mary with outstretched hands in prayer. Above her is the Byzantine inscription of the period that translated into "MOTHER OF GOD". The Virgin Mary was known at this time, as the Virgin Orans, or the Virgin of the Sign. Icons of Mary holding her Son Jesus have been popular since the Council of Ephesus in 431 solemnly declared Mary to be the "Theotòkos" or Mother of God. "The Lord himself will give you a sign..." (Isaiah 7:14). This authentic Late Roman bronze cross from the Roman Byzantine Period possesses beautiful speckled blue and green patina with earthen deposits in the engraved areas making for excellent contrast. This piece is far nicer in person and not as rough as seems above. It is also unusually large for this type relic. Ancient bronzes are largely judged by the beauty of their patina, with no two artifacts alike as the copper in the bronze reacts with ground minerals and takes thousands of years to achieve such a coating. This one is wonderfully covered but has no rot or disintegration of the metal so the details are incredibly intact. Solid and wearable with intact and original bail. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! WARNING: Fakes of these bronze crosses have saturated the collectible market. Ebay is definitely the worst assemblage of them but I have seen numerous on websites being pawned off as real. Crooked and/or ignorant dealers are selling copies for pennies to the dollar compared to authentic examples like this one but some are asking the same price as the genuine artifacts! If the price seems too good to be true, then it is. Even the people digging these out of the ground in the most remote regions know the value of a genuine example. Beware of copies that have what appear to be signs of authenticity right down to the faking of the color and oxidized patina!!!
In the Byzantine Period which lasted from the 5th century AD to the fall of Constantinople in the 15th century, the Roman Empire and Christianity were completely interwoven. It was the quintessential example of the UNION of church and state. The classic architecture, style of dress, and overall appearance of all that was "Roman" took on a new and intricate style that the world has never seen before or has ever since been repeated. Roman Byzantine culture was an eclectic and yet, harmonious religious blend of the Orient with the West. This was not only attributed to the influence of the capitol's new geographic location, but also to the foremost prominence of Christianity in the Roman world. It is during the Byzantine Period that we have the first major introduction of CHRISTIAN JEWELRY to the world!
The Christian jewelry of the ancient world always reflected the humility that Christ preached. Stunning bejeweled adornments were left to the high priests only while performing rituals. The Christian jewelry worn by all believers in antiquity was that of very crude and simplistic design, only very rarely in precious metal. The crosses of the Byzantine Period were predominantly bronze and sometimes lead. The art style was highly stylized, typical for the Byzantine culture. Depictions of Christ and Mary most often appear quite cartoon-like in the imagery on the Christian jewelry and coinage. Since many of the Byzantine coins had religious inscriptions and images of Jesus and occasionally Mary, coins are sometimes found with holes punched through them having been used as a pendant in ancient times by an early believer. In the later Medieval Era and Dark Ages, Christian jewelry maintained this humility in both overall design and manufacture with an increase in the use of silver but a continuance in the use of bronze, copper and lead. Imagery became more refined and detailed. Pilgrim badges were often worn by believers in these times if they had the grand opportunity to visit the Holy city of Jerusalem. An excellent (and wearable!) genuine antiquity from the earliest period of Christian jewelry. 49 mm in overall height. Solid and wearable with intact and original bail. Bail can take up to a 2 mm thick chain. Any thicker chain can be used with an additional ring clipped on to the original bail. CJ012 SOLD COMES WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY / HISTORY SHEET |
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ORIGINAL BYZANTINE ROMAN ICON SHOWING THE "VIRGIN OF THE SIGN" |
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The
cross came to symbolize the basic Christian concepts: Incarnation,
Atonement and the Resurrection. It was believed the crosses
possessed hidden healing strength and guaranteed salvation of the
soul! Many objects in antiquity, both everyday items as well as
those for holy rituals, abounded in Christian imagery. Some examples
of this imagery that were used with Christian significance besides the
cross were the Chi-Ro symbol, the fish, angels, a starburst and
abbreviated inscriptions in Greek (the language used for religious
writings and coinage) which translated to "In Christ, Victory"
or "Jesus Christ, King of Kings".