RARE BYZANTINE GOLD PENDANT WITH AMETHYST INTAGLIO DEPICTING CHI-RHO AND DOLPHINS Ca. AD 350 - 500. A rare Byzantine gold pendant with rope shaped decoration securing an amethyst intaglio of oval shape, engraved with the typical Chi-Rho monogram flanked by the Greek letters Alpha and Omega. At its base, the cross features two dolphins facing each other. On the top a round loop. For similar see: The British Museum, Museum number 1894,0413.13 (design); British Museum, Dalton O.M., A Guide To The Early Christian And Byzantine Antiquities In The Department Of British And Mediaeval Antiquities, Fig. 29, p. 52. Size: 40mm x 25mm; Weight: 15g. Provenance: Private UK collection, acquired on the US art market; Ex. Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, Illinois; Ex. Leslie Hindman, Chicago, Important Jewelry, 4 December 2016, Lot 279. This piece is accompanied by an authentication statement by Sami Fortune, ancient jewellery specialist.