Skip to Main Content

The "Apostles" Pyx (Box)

c. 980–1010

probably by Triptych Group

Byzantium, Constantinople, middle Byzantine period, 10th-11th century
ivory
Overall: 25.5 x 17.5 cm (10 1/16 x 6 7/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1973.4
Location: 105 Byzantine
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Description

This pyx shows Christ as Pantokrator (Ruler of the World), the Apostles, and the Virgin as a continuous frieze of figures seated in high-backed chairs with cushions. The tapered lip of the body of the pyx was intended to dovetail into the missing lid. Because of its style, the box is thought to be from a workshop of ivory carvers called "The Triptych Group" active in Constantinople between about 950 and 1010. This is the only known pyx to survive from the Middle Byzantine period (about ad 843-1204).
The "Apostles" Pyx (Box)

The "Apostles" Pyx (Box)

c. 980–1010

Triptych Group

Byzantium, Constantinople, middle Byzantine period, 10th-11th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.