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Saint Arethas
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
Saint Arethas was an Ethiopian soldier who was murdered in 523 because of his Christian faith. He is depicted here in Byzantine court dress, holding a cross as a sign of his martyrdom. The tile is one among three in the Walters Art Museum that have the same size and contain identical busts of male saints: the other two show Saint Basil (inv. 48.2086.17) and Saint Panteleimon (inv. 48.2086.4). This series probably formed a frieze on a church wall or altar screen.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Nikos Avgheris, Istanbul, ca. 1950, by purchase; Robert E. Hecht, Ruxton, Maryland, 1956, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1956, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2008 | Byzantium, 330-1453. Royal Academy of Arts, London. |
| 1997 | The Glory of Byzantium. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 2/13/1964 | Treatment | loss compensation; re-housed; stabilized |
Geographies
Turkey, Istanbul (Constantinople) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
6 11/16 x 6 5/8 x 5/16 in. (17 x 16.8 x 0.9 cm)
Credit Line
Partial museum purchase with funds provided by the S. & A.P. Fund, 1956 and partial gift of Mr. Robert E. Hecht, Jr., 1957
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: Byzantine, Russian, and Ethiopian Icons
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
48.2086.2
