653 - Spirit of Byzantium, Crucifixion of Christ, facsimile in 950 silver on panel, 2nd half 20th century

Spirit of Byzantium, Crucifixion of Christ, facsimile in 950 silver on panel, 2nd half 20th century 950 silver, facsimile of a Byzantine Crucifixion scene, relief plaque on a black mount panel with hanging loop, workshop "Spirit of Byzantium" (Pnevma tou Vyzantiou), Greece, 2nd half 20th century. Stamped "950 SILVER" with a further hallmark left below the crossbar; on the reverse a certificate of the workshop with stamp, signature and red wax seal. Depiction: the crucified Christ with nimbus on the cross with the titulus "INBI", on the left Mary with nimbus, supported by three women, probably Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas and Salome, on the right John with nimbus, behind him a soldier in scale armour, at the foot of the cross rocky ground with skull, behind it a city wall and buildings, upper corners with volute scrolls, punched ground. Plaque fixed to the mount panel with small pins. Good condition. 17.5x14 cm (HxW). The depiction follows the Byzantine scheme of the Crucifixion icon, as shown for instance by a Greek Crucifixion icon of the 17th century: the mourning Mother of God, supported by the women, to the left of the cross, the beloved disciple John with his hand to his cheek and the centurion Longinus to the right, behind them the city wall of Jerusalem. The women at the cross are named in the Gospels of John 19:25 and Mark 15:40; they belong to the Myrrh-bearing Women who found the empty tomb on Easter morning. The titulus bears the Greek letters "INBI" for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews", which in the Orthodox Church take the place of the Latin "INRI". The skull at the foot of the cross stands for Golgotha, the place of the skull, where according to the Church Father Origen the skull of Adam lay buried. In the second half of the 20th century Greek workshops made silver icons after Byzantine models, partly with silver oklad, partly as silver relief on a panel.