Folia archeologica 22.

Zsuzsa S. Lovag: Byzantine Type Reliquary Pectoral Crosses in the Hungarian National Museum

I 44 ZS. S. LOVAG design of the cross, not even whether it was engraved or cast. The hole on its lower end, pierced for suspension, indicates that the cross was at the time of its last owner quite worn. Reliquary cross (Fig. j. nos. <fa-b) of an unknown provenance. (Inv. no 57.13 .B. and 57.5.

В.; as for the inscription v. Appendix 2.) In the form of a Latin cross with flaring arms, with one and two hinge loops respectively at top and bottom ends. The obverse is bordered by a double line, with parallel curved hatching in the corners. In the middle is a four-pointed star, its surface decorated with small punches and bordered with a double line, each of the four points end in a small ring. In the centre is a round socket with a hole in the centre, bordered with a line; it was probably inlaid with glass paste. On the reverse is also a four-pointed star in a similar technique but cut across diagonally by two double lines. On the top is an engraved inscription in Coptic charachters: GEORGI. H.

: 8,2 cm; W. : 4,5 cm.

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9 Examples bearing a resemblance to this, with sockets for glass paste inlay, are fairly common among the Holy Land type crosses. They occur in two variations: either the glass paste inlay is combined with engraved figurai representation,

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0 or only with ornamental design.

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1 The closest specimen to ours is a pectoral cross, found in St. Stefano, in the neighbourhood of Rome, which has on one side a four-pointed star, bordered with a double, engraved line, at the points small rings, a bigger circular hollow in the middle and two smaller ones at the end of the arms, on the reverse an engraved figure in an orant position, with the inscription in Coptic letters: Georgios.

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2 There are four pectoral crosses, preserved in the Hungarian National Museum which, judging by the circumstances of their finding, can be assigned to a certain period. The crosses of Tiszaörvény and Szob were found in graves, the cemeteries having been in use in the eleventh century and from the middle of the tenth to the middle of the eleventh century respectively. The Vésztő specimen came to light together with silver coins of St. Ladislas. The Orosháza cross is also dated in the eleventh century, judging by a very similar one, found in the eleventh century cemetery at Szentes-Szentilona. It is only the Székesfehérvár cross which comes to light from a site of much later date, but its closest parallels may assign it also to an earlier period. These data, however, prove the time of their production but 2

0 Published by Bdrány-Oberscball, M., op. cit. 222., Fig. 68. 3

0 On a cross found at Tarragone round hollows are with holes in their middles on the breast of the figure in orant position as well as at the ends of the cross arms : Schniitgen, A., op. cit. 130., Pl. IV. no. 4.; On a cross from Smyrna there are sockets at the ends of the reverse arms, in the centre there is the engraved figure of St. John, on another example of the same origin Christ in the representation of the Panagia Blacherniotissa has a round hollow on the breast, which concurs with the centre of the cross: Wulff, О., Altchristliche . . . 196., Pl. XLV. nos. 923, 926. 3

1 Wulff, О., Altchristliche . . . 197., Pl. XLV. no. 928.; Miiatev, K. R., op. cit. 81., Fig. 69: on the obverse, in the centre and at the ends of the arms round holes for glass paste inlay, on the reverse the incised figure of St. George. 3

2 MufioA., loc. cit.