Button, Early Byzantine

Leaf of the Consular Diptych of Areobindus, Period: Early Byzantine, Date: 506, School: Constantinople, Material: ivory, Technique: carved, Dimensions: 37,6; 14 cm. The collection of the State Hermitage includes over 3 million works of art and world culture artefacts. It contains paintings, graphic works, sculptures, works of applied art, archaeological artefacts and numismatic objects. The Hermitage is considered to have been founded in 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of works from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, St. Catherine’s Day. Opening Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 10.30-18.00 Wednesday, Friday: 10.30-21.00 Closed: Monday.

Plate with a Tigress Attacking an Ibex, Eastern Mediterranean, Material: Silver. Period: Early Byzantine circa: A.D. 450–525. The MFA is open 7 days a week. Monday and Tuesday 10 am–5 pm, Wednesday–Friday 10 am–10 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am–5 pm.

Paten with Cross and Inscription, Period: Early Byzantine, circa: Mid 6th Century. Materials: silver, gilding and niello. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., except for federal holidays.

Pendant Cross, Period: Early Byzantine (7thc.) Height: 55.8 millimetres Width: 37.2 millimetres Depth: 7 millimetres Weight: 7.27 grammes. Materials: Gold.  British Museum is closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, but is open every other day of the year. Fast facts about the British Museum: Founded: 1753, Collection size: 8 million objects, Oldest object in the collection: Stone chopping tool (nearly 2 million years old).

Enkolpion with Enthroned Virgin, Nativity, Adoration and Baptism, Period: Early Byzantine, circa: Last quarter 6th century (ca. 583). Materials: gold. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., except for federal holidays.

Earring; Period: Early Byzantine. circa: 5thC-7thC. Length: 27 millimetres. Materials: gold. British Museum is closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, but is open every other day of the year. Fast facts about the British Museum: Founded: 1753, Collection size: 8 million objects, Oldest object in the collection: Stone chopping tool (nearly 2 million years old).

Gold Earring; Period: Early Byzantine; consisting of a tower-like ornament attached to a gold chain; circa: 5thC-6thC, Early Byzantine. Found: Kalymnos, Greece. British Museum is closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, but is open every other day of the year. Fast facts about the British Museum: Founded: 1753, Collection size: 8 million objects, Oldest object in the collection: Stone chopping tool (nearly 2 million years old).

Griffin’s Head Lamp, Period: Early Byzantine, circa 4th-5th century. Purchased from George Zacos (dealer), Istanbul by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, DC, July 1962. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., except for federal holidays.

Necklace, Period: Early Byzantine, circa: 6th century. Made in Constantinople. Material: gold. Technique: carving, engraving. Dimensions: Lenght 27 cm. The collection of the State Hermitage includes over 3 million works of art and world culture artefacts. It contains paintings, graphic works, sculptures, works of applied art, archaeological artefacts and numismatic objects. The Hermitage is considered to have been founded in 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of works from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, St. Catherine’s Day. Opening Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 10.30-18.00 Wednesday, Friday: 10.30-21.00 Closed: Monday.

Fragment with Running Figure, Materials: tapestry; linen and wool, Period: Early Byzantine circa: 500s. The Cleveland Art Museum Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Buckle with Embossed Head in Profile, Period: Early Byzantine, circa: 400-600. Materials: gold, lapis lazuli, and glass. The Cleveland Art Museum Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Fragment from a Curtain, Materials: tabby weave with inwoven tapestry ornament, linen and wool. Period: Early Byzantine circa: 5th – 6th century. The Cleveland Art Museum Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Mosaic Panel. Period: Early Byzantine;  circa: Late 6th – early 7th century. Findspot: Istanbul, Kalenderhane Mosque excavations. Decorated the southern niche of the apse; it depicts the earliest presentation scene, the hypapante, found in Istanbul. Materials: stone, glass. In the Istanbul Archaeological Museum collections, there are rich and very important works of art belonging to various civilizations from the regions from Africa to Balkans , from Anatolia and Mesopotamia to Arab Peninsula and Afghanistan that were in the borders of the Ottoman Empire.

This medallion of Christ is from a group of twelve that once surrounded an icon of the archangel Gabriel. Period: Middle Byzantine, circa: ca. 1100, Made in Constantinople, Materials: Gold, silver, and enamel worked in cloisonné. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) is one of the world’s largest and finest art museums. Its collection includes more than two million works of art spanning five thousand years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe. Public Hours: 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Open seven days a week.

Relief based on story of Achilles receiving his armor on the island of Skyros. Period: Early Byzantine, Material: Ivory.  The MFA is open 7 days a week. Monday and Tuesday 10 am–5 pm, Wednesday–Friday 10 am–10 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am–5 pm.

Relief plaque icon, depicting the Crucifixion with full-length figures of the Virgin on the left and St John on the right, Late Byzantine (13 thc). Materials: Steatite – Gold.

Copper alloy weight, Period: Early Byzantine, circa: 4thC-5thC. Quare with convex profile & chamfered lower edges; engraved on face with 2 imperial busts. British Museum is closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, but is open every other day of the year. Fast facts about the British Museum: Founded: 1753, Collection size: 8 million objects, Oldest object in the collection: Stone chopping tool (nearly 2 million years old).

Lamp and Stand, Period: Early Byzantine, 4th century. Materials: Silver. 9.2 x 16 x 7 cm (3 9/16 x 6 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Art Museum Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Necklace. Materials: Pearls, Sapphires, Gold, Gems and Plasma. Period: Early Byzantine, circa: early 5th century. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., except for federal holidays.

Tapestry fragment Egyptian (Coptic), Period: Early Byzantine, circa: 5th-6th century A.D. Material: silk. The MFA is open 7 days a week. Monday and Tuesday 10 am–5 pm, Wednesday–Friday 10 am–10 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am–5 pm.