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Phylactery with a Deesis and a Cross
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
This box has an image of the Deesis (Christ enthroned between the Virgin and John the Baptist) on one side and a cross engraved on the other. It was once worn round one's neck and contained a small piece of paper inscribed either with a passage from the Bible or with a prayer. It was thus meant to protect its owner. Similar pieces are known to have been widely made for Christians in the Late Ottoman period.
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.
Harriette H. Rowland, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1955, by gift.
Geographies
Balkan Peninsula (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 2 5/16 in. (5.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Miss Harriette H. Rowland, 1955
Location in Museum
Not on view
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.
57.1858