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Pyxis Depicting Standing Saints and the Entry into Jerusalem (MET 1971.39)

39447
By Paige Naumnik '24
  

A pyxis is a cylindrical storage box used to carry precious items. This one includes scenes from the Christian Bible, depicted through a medium and style that are usually associated with traditional Islamic art. On the side, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. This event, commemorated as Palm Sunday, is often understood to be the commencement of the Passion, which ends with Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. On the lid is an unusual representation of Jesus’ mother Mary, seated cross-legged on the ground, wearing a turban resembling the headgear of the Syrian Arab community. This pyxis also shows revered Christian saints, including Saint Andrew, a patron saint of crusaders. This object is significant because the artist, who was trained in Islamic artistic traditions, represented prominent figures in the Christian faith, presumably for a (local or crusader) Christian patron.

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