Ca. 1000 AD. A bronze reliquary cross pendant featuring a Latin cross design with a low relief Virgin Mary Oranta at the center. The Oranta is a traditional Christian iconography of the Virgin Mary standing in adoration with her arms outstretched. The reliquary was popular in the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium, and was used to honor saints and other holy figures. The cross was often decorated with intricate carvings and designs, often featuring scenes from the Bible. It also often contained a compartment to store a relic in, which could be a piece of cloth or bone from a saint or a nail from the crucifixion.Size: L:69.6mm / W:35.3mm ; 17.66gProvenance: Private London collector, acquired on the UK Art market, pre-2000.