Material: lead

Size: 1 13/16 inches in diameter

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First, take a minute or two to look closely at the images above. Write down your reaction to this object--what details do you notice? The first image shows both the front and back of the object; the second image shows just the front; and the third image shows just the back. Why did you pick this object for your response paper? Make notes on things that you notice about it. Also, write down any questions you have about it--what kinds of things would you want to know about this object? Remember the questions we ask in class. You don't need to have answers for these questions yet, but keep them in your notes.

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Once you have some questions written down, try to answer them by reading the information I've provided below about this object and its context.

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What do we know about this object?​

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This object is a small hollow flask. On the front, it has an inscription in Greek which reads "Oil of the wood of life from the holy sites of Christ." Most likely, this flask originally contained holy oil sanctified by contact with fragments of the True Cross in Jerusalem. Many of these small flasks, called ampullae, were produced in Palestine between the 5th and 7th centuries. The top has been broken off, but would have been pierced so that the ampulla could be hung around the neck and worn. Some ampullae were cast in molds using metals such as silver, lead, and tin. Others were made out of clay (would have been cheaper).

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These objects were probably brought back from the Holy Land by pilgrims who visited Jerusalem. Thus they are souvenirs of a very important and emotionally intense spiritual journey.

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Look carefully at the scene from the front of the ampulla. There is one figure on each side, and in the middle a larger head with a halo. Consider the poses of the two men on either side. What is happening to them? What scene from the Holy Land is being depicted here?

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Note that, below these three individuals, there are two smaller figures kneeling before a small mound of stones with a pole; on the pole is a cross. Keeping in mind that this object was produced for, and purchased by, pilgrims--the small kneeling figures may very well be pilgrims, visiting the site of the Biblical event above. In the 4th century CE, the emperor Constantine arranged for excavations to look for holy sites in Jerusalem, and he built shrines to mark these sites. After this, pilgrims began to journey to the Holy Land to visit these sacred sites, and a whole industry developed to support the pilgrims (just like the tourist industry today!). These ampullae were some of the mass-produced souvenirs of the medieval Christian tourist industry--but they of course also could have held very profound meaning for the individuals who purchased them, just as our souvenirs sometimes do today.

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The back of the object has another scene. Here two women with halos approach an elaborate (but small) structure with a cross on top and perhaps a small stone square object inside. On the other side of the structure, a winged figure with a halo waits. The inscription here reads "The Lord is risen." What Biblical scene do you think is being depicted here?

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The structure probably represents the Shrine of the Holy Sepulchre, the tomb where Christ was buried and from which he rose to Heaven, leaving behind an empty tomb. When Emperor Constantine started pouring money into the Christian Church, one of the things he sponsored was the construction of a small shrine over Christ's tomb. When Jesus was buried there, the tomb was very simple; but the structure on this ampulla is quite elaborate, and so it is likely to be Constantine's shrine.

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One fascinating thing about these two scenes is the way they combine events from Biblical times with details from the pilgrim's journey in the 6th century CE. These two distinct time periods are collapsed into a single scene. Considering how emotionally and spiritually intense the pilgrimage might have been, perhaps to the pilgrims the experience was so vivid that it almost felt like they were "really there".

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Some things to consider in your response paper:​

• What was your response to this object? What drew your eye? You are encouraged to use first person (I/me) in your response paper. I want to know what you think.

• Consider the details of this object carefully. What kinds of decisions did the artist make when they were creating this piece, and why do you think they made these choices? Use your art terminology. How are the different figures arranged, and how did the artist try to draw your eye to certain focal points?

• Think also about the context of these images, on a souvenir produced and purchased in the Holy Land by pilgrims, containing holy oil. Imagine someone purchasing this while on pilgrimage. What might it have meant to them? Also, how is the imagery on this ampulla different from the early Christian imagery we looked at in class? What does this suggest about changes in Christian belief, or the stories that were really important to Christians?