Byzantine-Style Mosaic Necklace with Christ and Twelve Apostles

Unidentified (Murano, Venice, Italy), Byzantine-Style Mosaic Necklace with Christ and Twelve Apostles, 1870s-1910s, gold with glass and shell inlay, 9 14 × 16 × 14 in. (23.5 × 40.6 × 0.6 cm) irregular, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.8.247
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Artwork Details

Title
Byzantine-Style Mosaic Necklace with Christ and Twelve Apostles
Artist
Unidentified (Murano, Venice, Italy)
Date
1870s-1910s
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
9 14 × 16 × 14 in. (23.5 × 40.6 × 0.6 cm) irregular
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums Description
gold with glass and shell inlay
Classifications
Subjects
  • Religion — New Testament — Christ
  • Religion — New Testament — apostle
Object Number
1929.8.247

Artwork Description

The age and origin of this necklace are unknown, but many signs point to creation in Italy in the late nineteenth century. Its medallions loosely represent Christ and the twelve apostles, with each face a small mosaic construction of cut shapes in mother of pearl and Venetian glass. These resemble portraits of saints decorating Byzantine-era boxes, book covers, and chalices in the Treasury of St. Mark's Basilica and other museums. However, jewelry was not a standard element of the attire of priests and religious officials in the tenth century, suggesting that this necklace is a revival piece made in the 1800s that evokes an earlier context. Some of the glass and shell may be repurposed from broken antique objects to increase the appearance of age and authenticity. Was this initially marketed as a studious tribute to the middle ages, or is it a finely crafted fake? Collector John Gellatly left behind no records of its purchase, and these questions remain under investigation.

Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano, 2021.

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