Medallion with a Bust of St Symeon; Period: Middle Byzantine; circa: 10th-11th c. Materials: gold. Dimensions: 0,021 m.
The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is housed in one of the most beautiful neoclassical-style buildings in Athens, near the National Garden and the Hellenic Parliament. It was converted into a museum in order to shelter the collections of Antonis Benakis and was donated to the Greek nation by himself and his three sisters, Alexandra, Penelope and Argine. Following its most recent refurbishment (1989–2000), the building houses a unique exhibition on Greek culture arranged diachronically from prehistory to the 20th century.
Saint John the Evangelist Dictating, Manuscript, Period: Late Byzantine; circa: 1200 to 1225. Place: Nicomedia (Modern Izmit, Turkey) Materials: Tempera colors and gold leaf on parchment. Dimensions: Leaf: 20.6 × 14.9 cm (8 1/8 × 5 7/8 in.) The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and photography from its beginnings to the present, gathered internationally.
Heraldic Eagle. Decorated with a garnet and glass paste. Material: gold. Period: Early Byzantine; circa: 6th-7th century. The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is housed in one of the most beautiful neoclassical-style buildings in Athens, near the National Garden and the Hellenic Parliament. It was converted into a museum in order to shelter the collections of Antonis Benakis and was donated to the Greek nation by himself and his three sisters, Alexandra, Penelope and Argine. Following its most recent refurbishment (1989–2000), the building houses a unique exhibition on Greek culture arranged diachronically from prehistory to the 20th century.
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.
Lamp, Made in: Luxor, Egypt. Period: Early Byzantine circa: 6th-7th century. Subjects: Cross, bird. Found/Acquired: Luxor. Materials: Bronze. 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).
Pectoral cross. Material: gold; flat; with Greek inscription and dotted borders; open loop at top; plain back. Period: Early Byzantine. 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).
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.
Tremissis of Anastasius I, Gold, Period: Early Byzantine, circa: A.D. 491–518. Mint: Constantinople. 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 from the exterior ornamentation of a church at Amaseia in the Pontos. Materials: stone, Period: Middle Byzantine, circa: (1197-1207). Showing the military saints Dimitrios and Theodoros slaying the Bulgarian tsar Skyloyannis or Kaloyannis. Dimensions: 0.33×0.44×0.05 m. Traces of red pigment are visible.
The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is housed in one of the most beautiful neoclassical-style buildings in Athens, near the National Garden and the Hellenic Parliament. It was converted into a museum in order to shelter the collections of Antonis Benakis and was donated to the Greek nation by himself and his three sisters, Alexandra, Penelope and Argine. Following its most recent refurbishment (1989–2000), the building houses a unique exhibition on Greek culture arranged diachronically from prehistory to the 20th century.
The Raising of Lazarus, Panel; ivory; Christ with cruciferous nimbus relocate to right with hand raised as well as first finger expanded; various other hand lugs a staff; behind him walks a bearded apostle; prior to him are Mary and also Martha, one standing listening, the various other stooping with hands extended in supplication; behind them to right is an aedicula with cupola, where is the covered body of Lazarus; behind-the-scenes the structures of Bethany.
Period: Middle Byzantine, circa: 900-1100. Materials: ivory
British Museum is closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, but is open every other day of the year.
Christ Blessing the Loaves and Fishes. Period: Late Roman, ca. 320-340 A.D. Material: marble. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., except for federal holidays.
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.
Medallion with Saint George from an Icon Frame, Period: Middle Byzantine, circa: 1100, Made in Constantinople, Materials: Gold, silver, and enamel worked in cloisonné. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 303. 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.
Calyx (Chalice), Period: Middle Byzantine, 900s-1000s. Blood jasper (heliotrope) with gilt-copper mounts. 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.
Harness Ornaments. Period: Late Roman; circa: 200–400. Geography: Made in Thrace (possibly). 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.
Square Segmentum with Two Birds, Period: Early Byzantine; circa: 400s – 500s; Made in: Egypt, Material: tapestry; linen and wool. Dimensions: Overall: 10 x 10 cm (3 7/8 x 3 7/8 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.
The Antioch Chalice, Period: Early Byzantine, circa: 500–550, Made in Antioch or Kaper Koraon, Materials: Silver, silver-gilt. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 300. 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.
Solidus of Maurice Tiberius, 583-602, Material: gold, Diameter: w. 2.2 cm (13/16 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.
The Descent into Limbo, Period: Late Byzantine, circa: 13th century. Dimensions: Leaf: 20.6 × 14.9 cm (8 1/8 × 5 7/8 in.) Place: Nicaea, Modern Turkey (Place created).
Museum Description: “After his Crucifixion and before his Resurrection, Christ freed worthy Bible figures from limbo (an event known as the Anastasis in Greek). Here Christ pulls Adam by the wrist out of the tomb and toward the Kingdom of Heaven, while Abel, Eve, John the Baptist, King Solomon, and King David await their salvation. The two kings are dressed in the jeweled crowns and embroidered cloaks of Byzantine emperors.”
The collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum comprises Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity; European art—including illuminated manuscripts, paintings, drawings, sculpture, and decorative arts—from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century; and international photography from its inception to the present day.
Miliarensis of Basil II and Constantine VIII, Period: Middle Byzantine, circa: Between 989 and 1025, Material: silver, Technique: chased and gilded. 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.