Collections: Byzantine and Medieval Art

Byzantine

Medallion of Constantius II, 337-361

Following the conversion of Constantine I to Christianity, the pagan gods ceased to appear on the coins and medallions of the Roman empire. The personifications were, however, retained. Thus the personification of Rome continued to be used, and from this arose a new type, the personification of Constantinople, the new capital of the Roman empire. This medallion shows that personification on the reverse (back). Constantinopolis is seated on a high-backed throne, wearing a long tunic and mantle. In her outstretched right hand she holds an orb on which stands the figure of Victory, holding out a wreath. On the obverse (front), the bust of the emperor Constantius II (337-361) faces left, wearing a cuirass beneath his cloak, which is fastened on his shoulder with a jeweled fibula (pin). On his head the emperor wears a diadem formed of two rows of pearls and a central medallion.

This medallion belongs with a group that glorified Constantinople. They were undoubtedly struck to be presented by the emperor as gifts in commemoration of a particular occasion, perhaps the vicennalia of Constantius, or the eleven hundredth anniversary of the founding of Rome. This particular medallion was minted in Thessalonica.

Constantius II (A.D. 337-361)
Gold 4 Solidus Medallion from the mint of Thessalonike
(modern Thessaloniki, Greece)
Obverse Legend:
FL IVL CONSTANTIVS PERP AVG
Reverse Legend:
GLORIA ROMANORVM
Exergue: TES
A.D. 350-355
(71.37)
Gift of Maureen C. Mabbott
in memory of Thomas O. Mabbott

Fragment of a Plaque Showing a Military Saint

The identity of the saint shown here can only be suggested, since military saints are numerous in the Eastern Church. (The inscription identifies as St. Demetrius a saint who stood on the right side of the plaque. Only his right arm is now preserved.) Two saints, besides St. Demetrius, are commonly represented with a drawn sword, St. Michael and St. George. Since St. Demetrius is often associated with St. George, perhaps this saint should be identified as the latter. The plaque may have come from a casket or from a type of triptych where the central panel served as a reliquary, while the side panels contained figures. Stylistically the plaque belongs with provincial works of the eleventh or twelfth century.

Medieval

Adoration of the Magi from a Book of Hours
Anonymous, Netherlandish

The Adoration of the Magi was one of eight traditional images included in the Books of Hours to illustrate the Hours of the Virgin. The Hours are typically illustrated as follows: Annunciation (Matins), Visitation (Lauds), Nativity (Prime), Annunciation to the Shepherds (Terce), Adoration of the Magi (Sext), Presentation in the Temple (None), Flight into Egypt (Vespers), and the Coronation of the Virgin (Compline). In this richly illuminated page of the Adoration of the Magi, the first king kneels down before the Virgin and child, having respectfully removed his crown. Jesus sits on his mother’s lap, tenderly holding this wise man’s hand. Inside the stable, Joseph grasps the kneeling king’s gift. A “heavenly” Gothic architectural canopy, gilded and decorated with two smiling lions, surmounts the whole scene. In the distance,a walled medieval city dominates the landscape. A man on horseback approaches the city’s gate, and the gilded star of Bethlehem shines in the lapis blue sky.

Stylistically the manuscript can be connected with other miniature paintings produced in Delft, ca. 1480, by a small circle of artists known as the “Master of the Half Figures.” The high quality of the miniature and the lavish use of gold and lapis blue indicate that a wealthy patron commissioned the manuscript.

Anonymous, Netherlandish
Adoration of the Magi from a Book of Hours
ca. 1480
Ink, pigments, and gold leaf on parchment
(2003.1)
Gilbreath-McLorn Museum Fund