Collection record · Objects & craft
Monogram of Christ (Chrismon)
The collection record classifies this work as metalwork. It is dated 500s. Recorded culture or place: Byzantium, Syria, early Byzantine period, 6th century.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Monogram of Christ (Chrismon)
- Date
- 500s
- Culture / origin
- Byzantium, Syria, early Byzantine period, 6th century
- Materials and technique
- gold sheet, gold wire, and garnets
- Dimensions
- Overall: 14.8 x 12.1 x 0.7 cm (5 13/16 x 4 3/4 x 1/4 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1965.551
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
The superimposed Greek letters chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ’s name, was a popular early Christian symbol. The monogram of Christ, or chrismon, is also a powerful symbol of imperial victory: it appeared to Emperor Constantine the Great before his battle against Maxentius in ad 312, promising victory in the name of Christ. Made of gold sheet and decorated with three garnets, it may have formed the center of a golden wreath, serving as a protective device and an emblem of Christian triumph.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Lillian M. Kern · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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