10th-11th century AD. A large bronze enkolpion reliquary cross pendant, comprising two narrow hinged plates and articulated suspension loop with two vertical ribs; obverse with Jesus Christ on the cross, dressed with a long robe (colobium) and two small figures of evangelists on His side, under the arms the Greek inscription '?? ?? ???' (Jesus Christos Nika = Jesus Christ is victorious), over His head the titulum (INRI), and the sun and the moon; on the tabula ansata of the titulum is reported the Greek inscription ? fur X??????; reverse with Theotokos (Mother of God) in orans pose and the four nimbate busts of the evangelists, with the Gospels in their hands, surrounded at the four arms of the cross, with the initials of their names incised: ?,?,?,?. See Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, item 258, for type; Cormack R., Vassilaki M., Byzantium 330-1453, London, 2008, p.226, n.197.132 grams, 10.6cm (4 1/4"). Property of an Austrian collector; previously from a private collection formed between 1965-1975. This enkolpion is a beautiful example of a 10th century prototype of pendant cross that was widespread in the 11th-12th centuries. Strangely enough, the image of Saint John and of the Virgin Mary at the sides of the crucified Jesus is substituted by the iconography of two evangelists. This aspect demonstrates the many variants of enkolpia existing throughout the Roman empire in this period of the new Byzantine art, due to the new political and artistic vigour of the Macedonian dynasty.