Byzantine ivory diptych relief - a photo on Flickriver

            This is one of the largest surviving ivories from the Byzantine Empire. It comes from a hinged two-leaf diptych possibly used as a writing tablet, and shows an archangel holding an orb and sceptre. The style of his drapery is classical, but the Christian subject matter is Byzantine.

The ivory's extraordinary size and quality suggest that it was an imperial commission, perhaps by Justinian | (AD 527-565), a powerful and successful emperor whose patronage stimulated a golden age in Byzantine art.

Greek Inscription (front): 

+ ΔΕΧΟΥ ΠΑΡΟΝΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΘѠΝ ΤΗΝ ΑΙΤΙΑΝ
‘Receive this man, although you know [his] sin’

Description:

Half of a diptych; ivory; the archangel Michael standing at the top of a flight of six steps under a round arch carved with acanthus ornament and supported by fluted columns; within the arch is a scallop, before which is a wreath bound with ribbons and containing a cross; in the spandrels are rosettes and acanthus leaves, and above a tablet with inscription; the archangel, with no nimbus, holds an orb surmounted by a jewelled cross, and in the other hand a staff with ball at each end.

Early Byzantine, ca. 525-550 CE
Made in Constantinople

British Museum (OA.9999)

Some rights reserved

Taken on: December 17, 2023

Tags:

Byzantine

diptych

ivory

archangel

Michael

angel

orb and sceptre

Greek

acanthus

columns

cross

Constantinople

British Museum « less

Sets appears in: • Byzantine Art • British Museum

Groups appears in: • British Museum • The Ancient World more » • World Archaeology & Arts/ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΑ&ΤΕΧΝΕΣ-Rea • Museums of the World • Byzantine Architecture [only before 1453 please] « less

Camera: f/1.8, 1/25 sec, 6.9mm, ISO 500 (more info) (hide info)

Lens:	iPhone 15 Pro Max back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78
Aperture:	f/1.8
Exposure Time:	0.04 sec (1/25)
Focal Length:	6.9mm
ISO:	500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Lightroom 9.3.1 (iOS)
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