Bidspirit auction | BYZANTINE BRONZE RELIQUARY CROSS PLATE

BYZANTINE BRONZE RELIQUARY CROSS PLATE WITH INSCRIPTION - Ca. AD 1000 - 1200. A cast bronze half of a reliquary cross (enkolpion) with integral hinge fittings at the top and base. One side is engraved with a central figure in orans pose, hands raised in prayer, with a smaller robed figure positioned directly before, and flanked by two additional saints in profile. All figures are rendered in incised linear detail with cross-hatched garments. A Greek inscription appears above.For similar see: The British Museum, Museum number 1984,1002.2.Size: 86.6mm x 49mm; Weight: 41gProvenance: Private UK collection; previously acquired on the German art market, Munich, in the 1990s.