An Early Christian Ivory Plaque in Cyprus and Notes on the Asiatic Ampullae

Abstract

In the monastery of Kikko on Cyprus1 there is a reliquary casket 17 inches high and 24¼ inches long in the top of which (Fig. 2) is set a small ivory plaque (Fig. 3) measuring 5 7/10 inches in height by 2¾ inches in width.The carving is of a single figure holding a cross in his left hand and standing in front of a gabled architectural frame. A conch shell independent of the architecture is partially hidden behind his head. Below the conch and perhaps as a support for it is a dentil molding stretched between the capitals and divorced from any true cornice connection—a misunderstood adaptation of the motif as often found on Coptic monuments. The moldings of the gable also use a favorite Coptic motif consisting of a broken-down bead and reel surmounting another dentil row.2 The plaque has been considerably cut down, probably in fitting it to its present position in the top of the reliquary casket which is further adorned with bone relics and inscriptions in Greek. A portion of the bottom, including the feet of the figure, has been lost in this process. There are remains of a raised ridge along the right side.