Subject
A: This is a votive cross meant to be hung in a church as an offering. The colored stones are set as cabochon gems, and the hanging stones are pendoulia that would catch and reflect light.
B: This is a smaller cross pendant that could be worn or hung up as a gift to a church. It uses cabochon stones, including a more diamond-like lozenge shape near the top, and the plate looks patterned with punchwork.
C: This V-shaped hanging piece was likely also hung in a votive setting as an offering. Similar to the other pieces, it uses cabochon stones set into the gold. The piece in the middle looks like it could be intarsia with gems set flush into the metal.
D: This piece was also designed to be hung, with a small cross and other hanging parts acting as pendulums. It has multiple cabochon stone settings, and on the arms of the small cross, potentially some intarsia.
Connection to Readings
In the reading, Moreno Martin explains that certain historical artifacts have been “appropriated to frame the contemporary idea of a ‘nation,’” and that examples like “the crown of Reccesuinth… [have] been employed from the beginning of the nineteenth century for the construction of national Spanish identity” (Martin 41) Martin explains that although the crown is “composed of gold and precious stones,” the “true” value lies in its “authenticated lineage from Spanish Visigothic culture of the seventh century” (Martin 41). Martin further explains that “a nation’s past articulated in history books cannot be considered an objective account but rather a kind of ‘communal memory’” (Martin 44). This framework is important to understand because it shows how artifacts like those from Torrendojimeno can be treated as “physical evidence confirming this alliance” between church and state, even though that “past” is being manipulated.
Context
These artifacts from the Treasure of Torrendojimeno represent the culmination of Gothic metalworking traditions while acting as an important symbol for defining later Spanish national identity. In the first century CE, groups of Germanic people in areas of Scandinavia began migrating south. This group, now known as the Goths, first landed in modern-day northern Poland and represented the distinct Wielbark and Przeworsk cultures. These groups had well-developed metalworking traditions that evolved over time. However, around 250 CE, the Goths moved further southeast toward the Black Sea and the Danube frontier. By the late fourth and early fifth centuries CE, a schism emerged between the groups, with the Ostrogoths in the Black Sea region and the Visigoths moving into the Roman Balkans. This period defines the Chernyakhov cultural context and a significant increase in people, trade, and production. In the early fifth century CE, the Gothic movement accelerated as Roman authority weakened and new opportunities for land opened inside the empire. After the sack of Rome in 410 CE under Alaric, the Visigoths shifted into Gaul in search of a permanent settlement. Under Athaulf, they took possession of key cities such as Narbonne and Toulouse, marking a key shift to more territorial power. Wallia then negotiated a foedus with Rome, securing settlement in Aquitania.
Gradually, Visigothic power extended into the Iberian Peninsula over the fifth century. After their defeat by the Franks at Vouillé in 507 CE, the kingdom’s center shifted more fully into Hispania, and by the sixth century Toledo emerged as the political and religious capital. Theoderic I strengthened this kingdom and emerged as a major power in Gaul, fighting alongside Rome against Attila at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451 CE, where he was killed. Under his son Euric, Visigothic influence expanded, and ultimately, the western emperor Julius Nepos was forced to recognize the Visigothic kingdom’s independence. Throughout this period, the Visigoths maintained Arian Christianity associated with the earlier Gothic religious traditions. That religious division between the Arian Visigoths and Catholic Hispano-Roman population changed when Reccared I renounced Arianism and accepted Catholic Christianity at the Third Council of Toledo in 589 CE. In the seventh century CE, the Visigothic kingdom at Toledo had amassed enough wealth and stability to support the creation of lavish votive crowns and crosses to legitimize their royal and religious authority.
Connection to Medieval Art
A major takeaway and implication of our conversations around the Obelisk of Theodosius is the concept of spolia. Throughout this section we have discussed how many objects are taken from their original context and reused in a different one. The obelisk is a perfect example of the implications of this phenomenon. The monolith tower of the obelisk was taken from an Egyptian religious context but was repurposed with new additions to be used for an entirely different purpose. By adapting the obelisk into a victory monument at the center of the Hippodrome, Theodosius does multiple things. First, he signals his power and authority as a ruler in displaying his empire’s ability to extract, transport, and “tame” elite monuments from other civilizations and reinstall them. He also creates a strategic political message inside the Hippodrome that targets different audiences for different goals.
In medieval art, this is important because it shows how art in the medieval period can be appropriated, translated, adapted, and assimilated into different contexts. When examining different medieval artworks it is therefore essential to understand its context and the ways in which it has been influenced by earlier cultural traditions, politics, and religions. Failing to understand the full picture of spolia in an object can lead viewers to miss details essential to the function or significance of the object.
Style
These pieces reflect the Visigothic metalworking style that displays nonclassical, geometric motifs with a focus on ornament. These pieces represent the desire for the Visigoths to create greater layers of embellishment with a dense texture, patterns, and multiple attachments such that the overall effect is rich and visually busy. They also use an enriched polychrome style, where gold is combined with colored stones to create strong contrast and reflect light as effectively as possible. The use of high-quality materials and craftsmanship projects the elite status of Visigothic royalty while helping legitimize their authority.
Object Annotation 4
Joe Robinson
Created on February 13, 2026
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Transcript
Subject
A: This is a votive cross meant to be hung in a church as an offering. The colored stones are set as cabochon gems, and the hanging stones are pendoulia that would catch and reflect light. B: This is a smaller cross pendant that could be worn or hung up as a gift to a church. It uses cabochon stones, including a more diamond-like lozenge shape near the top, and the plate looks patterned with punchwork. C: This V-shaped hanging piece was likely also hung in a votive setting as an offering. Similar to the other pieces, it uses cabochon stones set into the gold. The piece in the middle looks like it could be intarsia with gems set flush into the metal. D: This piece was also designed to be hung, with a small cross and other hanging parts acting as pendulums. It has multiple cabochon stone settings, and on the arms of the small cross, potentially some intarsia.
Connection to Readings
In the reading, Moreno Martin explains that certain historical artifacts have been “appropriated to frame the contemporary idea of a ‘nation,’” and that examples like “the crown of Reccesuinth… [have] been employed from the beginning of the nineteenth century for the construction of national Spanish identity” (Martin 41) Martin explains that although the crown is “composed of gold and precious stones,” the “true” value lies in its “authenticated lineage from Spanish Visigothic culture of the seventh century” (Martin 41). Martin further explains that “a nation’s past articulated in history books cannot be considered an objective account but rather a kind of ‘communal memory’” (Martin 44). This framework is important to understand because it shows how artifacts like those from Torrendojimeno can be treated as “physical evidence confirming this alliance” between church and state, even though that “past” is being manipulated.
Context
These artifacts from the Treasure of Torrendojimeno represent the culmination of Gothic metalworking traditions while acting as an important symbol for defining later Spanish national identity. In the first century CE, groups of Germanic people in areas of Scandinavia began migrating south. This group, now known as the Goths, first landed in modern-day northern Poland and represented the distinct Wielbark and Przeworsk cultures. These groups had well-developed metalworking traditions that evolved over time. However, around 250 CE, the Goths moved further southeast toward the Black Sea and the Danube frontier. By the late fourth and early fifth centuries CE, a schism emerged between the groups, with the Ostrogoths in the Black Sea region and the Visigoths moving into the Roman Balkans. This period defines the Chernyakhov cultural context and a significant increase in people, trade, and production. In the early fifth century CE, the Gothic movement accelerated as Roman authority weakened and new opportunities for land opened inside the empire. After the sack of Rome in 410 CE under Alaric, the Visigoths shifted into Gaul in search of a permanent settlement. Under Athaulf, they took possession of key cities such as Narbonne and Toulouse, marking a key shift to more territorial power. Wallia then negotiated a foedus with Rome, securing settlement in Aquitania. Gradually, Visigothic power extended into the Iberian Peninsula over the fifth century. After their defeat by the Franks at Vouillé in 507 CE, the kingdom’s center shifted more fully into Hispania, and by the sixth century Toledo emerged as the political and religious capital. Theoderic I strengthened this kingdom and emerged as a major power in Gaul, fighting alongside Rome against Attila at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451 CE, where he was killed. Under his son Euric, Visigothic influence expanded, and ultimately, the western emperor Julius Nepos was forced to recognize the Visigothic kingdom’s independence. Throughout this period, the Visigoths maintained Arian Christianity associated with the earlier Gothic religious traditions. That religious division between the Arian Visigoths and Catholic Hispano-Roman population changed when Reccared I renounced Arianism and accepted Catholic Christianity at the Third Council of Toledo in 589 CE. In the seventh century CE, the Visigothic kingdom at Toledo had amassed enough wealth and stability to support the creation of lavish votive crowns and crosses to legitimize their royal and religious authority.
Connection to Medieval Art
A major takeaway and implication of our conversations around the Obelisk of Theodosius is the concept of spolia. Throughout this section we have discussed how many objects are taken from their original context and reused in a different one. The obelisk is a perfect example of the implications of this phenomenon. The monolith tower of the obelisk was taken from an Egyptian religious context but was repurposed with new additions to be used for an entirely different purpose. By adapting the obelisk into a victory monument at the center of the Hippodrome, Theodosius does multiple things. First, he signals his power and authority as a ruler in displaying his empire’s ability to extract, transport, and “tame” elite monuments from other civilizations and reinstall them. He also creates a strategic political message inside the Hippodrome that targets different audiences for different goals. In medieval art, this is important because it shows how art in the medieval period can be appropriated, translated, adapted, and assimilated into different contexts. When examining different medieval artworks it is therefore essential to understand its context and the ways in which it has been influenced by earlier cultural traditions, politics, and religions. Failing to understand the full picture of spolia in an object can lead viewers to miss details essential to the function or significance of the object.
Style
These pieces reflect the Visigothic metalworking style that displays nonclassical, geometric motifs with a focus on ornament. These pieces represent the desire for the Visigoths to create greater layers of embellishment with a dense texture, patterns, and multiple attachments such that the overall effect is rich and visually busy. They also use an enriched polychrome style, where gold is combined with colored stones to create strong contrast and reflect light as effectively as possible. The use of high-quality materials and craftsmanship projects the elite status of Visigothic royalty while helping legitimize their authority.