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Details
LOT 1316
Byzantine Bronze Polycandelon Hanger Chain with Cross
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
34 1/4 in. (372 grams, 87 cm).
Comprising a substantial link chain with a large cross composed of two rivetted plates.
Provenance
Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Literature
Cf. Marin, E., Salona Christiana, Split, 1994, no.2 p.284, for a similar bronze cross (inv.no.H5735).
Footnotes
Polycandela were basically ring-shaped devices, hung from chains, pierced with circular holes to accommodate the stems of glass lamps. These suspended chandeliers, formed by two perforated concentric circles, held glass lamps filled with oil and having a metal wick holder inside. Crosses were often attached to polycandela, as elements of connection of the chains, a system still used in the actual Oriental churches.
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