The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Bloodstone Cameo with Saint George

Bloodstone Cameo with Saint George

1000–1100
bloodstone
Overall: 3.2 x 2.8 x 1.4 cm (1 1/4 x 1 1/8 x 9/16 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1959.41
Location: 105 Byzantine

Did You Know?

Legends about bravery can be comforting in times of distress. The wearer of this cameo, for example, may have thought about the fearlessness of Saint George in his battle against the dragon.

Description

Bearing the image of Saint George, one of the Byzantine Empire’s most popular saints, this cameo served as a powerful devotional and protective device. Close physical contact with a holy image was believed to enhance its effectiveness, creating a strong bond between the worshipper and the devotional object. Originally worn around the neck, this cameo was easily kissed and touched in moments of distress or crisis. Bloodstone was also believed to carry magical medicinal powers to stop hemorrhages and increase blood circulation.
  • Ducal Museum, Gotha, Germany
    -1959
    (Richard H. Zinser, Forest Hills, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1959-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Burgold, Karl "Das Herzogliche Museum," Mit einem Unhang: Die herzoglischen Unstalten für Kunst und Wissenschaft seit 1934 (Gotha, 1937). tafel 53.
    Art Quarterly (Summer 1959). p. 178.
    “Appointment.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 46, no. 4 (1959). p. 63 www.jstor.org
    "Accessions of American and Canadian Museums: January - March, 1959." The Art Quarterly XXII, no. 2 (Summer 1959): 177-188. Mentioned: P.178
    Wentzel, Hans "Die byzantinischen Kameen in Kassel, Zur Problematik der Datierung byzantinscher Kameen" Mousseion, Studien aus Kunst un Geschichte für Otto H. Förster (Köln: M. DuMont Schauberg, 1960.)
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 40 archive.org
    Cloisters (Museum), and Carmen Gómez-Moreno. Medieval Art from Private Collections: A Special Exhibition at The Cloisters, October 30, 1968 Through January 5, 1969. 1968. p. 212
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 40 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 42 archive.org
    Klein, Holger A. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 78-79, no. 21
    Eikelmann, Renate, Holger A. Klein, Stephen N. Fliegel, and Virginia Brilliant. The Cleveland Museum of Art: Meisterwerke von 300 bis 1550. München: Hirmer, 2007. p. 70, repr. p. 71, no. 19
    Fliegel, Stephen N., and Stephen N. Fliegel. A Higher Contemplation: Sacred Meaning in the Christian Art of the Middle Ages. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2012. p 28, fig 21
  • Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).
    Medieval Art from Private Collections: A Special Exhibition at The Cloisters, New York, NY (October 30, 1968-January 5, 1969).
  • {{cite web|title=Bloodstone Cameo with Saint George|url=false|author=|year=1000–1100|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.41