Lot Essay
Whilst a number of single gold plaques have survived, this is a rare example of an intact double medallion. The obverse depicts three scenes from the story of Christ's incarnation, dominated by a representation of the Annunciation, with the text of Gabriel's salutation (Luke 1:28) surrounding the scene. The reverse shows the joining of hands - dextrarum iunctio - of a betrothal being performed by Christ. Here the text may be translated as 'Our peace we give to you'.
The subject of early Christian medallions in general is examined by Marvin C. Ross (loc. cit.), who discusses two marriage medallions on the Dumbarton Oaks Girdle (op. cit., p. 258). In the present piece, the bride's diadem with tripartite ornament might suggest that an Imperial medallion provided the model, or that an Imperial lady is intended. A number of gold Solidi commemorating imperial unions, such as those of Anastasius I and Ariadne (Dumbarton Oaks), Marcian and Pulcheria (Hunterian Collection, Glasgow), and Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia, may have functioned as prototypes for the present piece. It is generally accepted that the Dumbarton Oaks Encolpium (Epiphany Medallion) was issued at Constantinople by the emperor Maurice Tiberius on the occasion of the baptism of his son Theodosius at the feast of the Epiphany in 584 AD. The feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on 25 March, and it is tempting to suppose that it may have been on that day that the marriage recorded here was celebrated. It is not easy to date the present medallion precisely, although a scientific analysis of the gold has indicated a date around the middle of the 6th century. In any event, the use of the Latin letter 'C' on Byzantine coins to represent the Greek 'Kappa' suggests a date prior to the middle of the 11th century when it tended to be replaced by 'K'.
The subject of early Christian medallions in general is examined by Marvin C. Ross (loc. cit.), who discusses two marriage medallions on the Dumbarton Oaks Girdle (op. cit., p. 258). In the present piece, the bride's diadem with tripartite ornament might suggest that an Imperial medallion provided the model, or that an Imperial lady is intended. A number of gold Solidi commemorating imperial unions, such as those of Anastasius I and Ariadne (Dumbarton Oaks), Marcian and Pulcheria (Hunterian Collection, Glasgow), and Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia, may have functioned as prototypes for the present piece. It is generally accepted that the Dumbarton Oaks Encolpium (Epiphany Medallion) was issued at Constantinople by the emperor Maurice Tiberius on the occasion of the baptism of his son Theodosius at the feast of the Epiphany in 584 AD. The feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on 25 March, and it is tempting to suppose that it may have been on that day that the marriage recorded here was celebrated. It is not easy to date the present medallion precisely, although a scientific analysis of the gold has indicated a date around the middle of the 6th century. In any event, the use of the Latin letter 'C' on Byzantine coins to represent the Greek 'Kappa' suggests a date prior to the middle of the 11th century when it tended to be replaced by 'K'.