Cleveland Museum of Art

Pyx

Date

c. 1170–1180

Medium

gilded copper, champlevé and cloisonné enamel, wood core (modern)

Culture

Germany, Lower Saxony, Hildesheim?, Romanesque period, enamels: 12th century; wood core: 19th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image of Christ’s crucifixion dominates this enameled box. Personifications of the Christian church, the Jewish faith, and the Virgin and Saint John flank the cross. Two Old Testament scenes--Abel’s sacrifice of sheep and Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac--appear on either side. The box once served as a pyx, a container for the consecrated host, itself a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice.

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