This double-sided rock crystal pendant is carved from two hemispherical pieces of crystal held together by a gold band. The pendant bears the image of an emperor drawn by a six-horse chariot, a configuration popular in Roman imperial contexts. In the emperor’s left hand is a globe, and to his left appears a chi-rho monogram symbolizing the initials of Christ.
Provenance
- Elias (Elie) Bustros, Beirut, Lebanon; purchased from Bustros by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection Washington, DC, August 1964.
Selected Bibliography
- S. Boyd and G. Vikan, Questions of Authenticity among the Arts of Byzantium (Washington, DC, 1981), no. 3.
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