Icon with Bust of a Saint

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Culture Byzantine

Title Icon with Bust of a Saint

Date 1000–1200 CE

Medium Steatite

Dimensions Overall (as preserved): 2 1/2 x 2 3/16 in. (6.4 x 5.6 cm)
thickness: 1/4 in. (0.7 cm)

Credit Line Burton Y. Berry Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 76.87.25

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About this Work

Saints are recognized as individuals from the past who have lived holy lives. Images of the saints were created for places of worship in an effort to help worshippers contemplate a holy path. These images were depicted in an abstract manner, believing that simplified representations could aid meditation. Worshippers from the Byzantine (now Eastern Orthodox) tradition were particularly responsive to these icons. Many smaller icons were made so that people could carry them and bring them into their homes. This example was carved into a small stone tablet.

Provenance
More Details

Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Icon with Bust of a Saint | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=76.87.25