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Pectoral Icon with the Baptism of Christ and the Deesis
(Medieval Europe )
This delicately carved pendant in a silver frame was worn on the chest by a bishop or abbot. Christ stands in the center flanked by John the Baptist on the left and a group of five angels on the right. Christ, John, and the first two angels are shown standing on snakes or dragons in an allusion to Psalm 73:13: "You divided the sea by your might: you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters." The other side of the pendant contains a composition known as "Deesis", where the Virgin and John the Baptist flanks Christ and address to Him a prayer for the salvation of humankind.
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.
Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 11/2/1959 | Treatment | cleaned |
Geographies
Greece (Place of Origin)
Measurements
4 1/4 x 2 7/8 x 1/2 in. (10.8 x 7.3 x 1.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
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.
61.145