Ill-de-France | Paris
Gothic | Mid-14th Century | Ca. 1350
Ivory | Carved in high relief
H. 16.5 cm. W. 15.4 cm. (7.7 cm. per panel)
PROVENANCE
Collection Galerie Charles Ratton & Guy Ladrière S.A.R.L. | Paris | France
Private collection | The Hague | Netherlands
EXPERTISE
With expertise by Guy Ladrière, expert près les Douanes et les Tribunaux, Paris
With CITES certificate issued by the Management Authority in The Hague | Dated 31-12-2024 | Nr. 24NL331512/2
REFERENCE LITERATURE
Beuckers, K.G. (1999). Mittelalterliche Elfenbeinarbeiten aus der Sammlung des Badischen Landesmuseums Karslruhe. Karlsruhe, pp. 54-59, nr. 6
Gaborit-Chopin, D. & Alcouffe, D. (2003). Ivoires médiévaux Ve-Xve siècle. Paris: exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, p. 337
Koechlin, R. (1924). Les Ivoires Gothiques Français. Paris, Vol II, p. 133, cat. nr. 303, pp. 148-155, p. 163, pp. 167-168, cat. nr. 288, pp. 172, cat. nr. 292, pp. 174-75, cat. nr. 320
Leeuwenberg, J. (1973). Sculpture in the Rijksmuseum. The Hague, p. 443, cat.nr. 772
Williamson, P. (1987). Medieval Sculpture and Works of Art, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. London, pp. 126-127, cat. nr. 24.
Williamson, P. & Davies, G. (2014). Medieval Ivory carvings, 1200-1550. Vol. I. London, pp. 260-261, cat. nr. 83; p. 27, pp. 278-279, cat. nr. 90, p. 290 and p.485
CATALOGUE NOTE
The availability of ivory in Europe in the gothic era was widespread and coincided with a growing desire for objects of personal devotion. This resulted is a vast number of fine religious works of art from the 13th and 14th centuries, among which ivory diptychs were arguably the most popular form. In the highest demand in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, ivory sculpture flourished as a result of the large influx of raw material from Africa, which enabled specialized workshops to spring up, catering to the growing demand. Paris became a major centre of production for both religious and profane objects in ivory, and these objects helped to spread the Parisian style across Europe. Most of these were executed on a relatively small scale.
The present ivory diptych of museum quality, deeply carved and in preserved in an excellent condition, is a fine example of the high quality of Gothic ivories made in Paris in the middle and second half of the fourteenth century. It consist of two panels that were originally attached to each other with two hinges. It belongs among the works that were carved around 1350 in what Raymond Koechlin referred to as the ‘innovative Parisian workshops’ (Koechlin, 1924). Each panel consists of two registers of equal dimensions with scenes from the Life of the Virgin. Although the cult of the Virgin was probably at its apogee in this era, ivory diptychs more often represent scenes from the life of Christ. Each scene is set beneath an elaborate architectural setting consisting of an arcade formed by three Gothic trefoil arches decorated with crockets and finials, between which deeply carved tracery ornaments. The registers are arranged chronologically and read from left to right and bottom to top.
The narrative sequence begins at the bottom left register with the Adoration of the Magi, continuing on the right with the Presentation at Temple and Simeon’s Song of Praise. The upper register on the right contains the Dormition of the Virgin and the sequence is completed by the Coronation of the Virgin in the top left compartment. Rare iconographic elements can be found in the Dormition scene, where Christ blesses his Mother and carries her soul on his arm as a miniature figure. In the depiction of the Presentation in the Temple, Joseph is depicted on the left, with a basket for the ‘couple of turtle doves’ – or two young pigeons – that according to a Biblical statement from the book of Leviticus one was obliged to sacrifice at the Temple. Note how the Christ Child pulls Simon’s beard. This ivory is notable for the quality of its execution and the precision of its detail. The panels are relatively thick and the relief is particularly deep. Note how the figure stand out of of the background, almost as carved in the round. All faces are individualized, giving each figure its own personal character. Particularly noteworthy are the sculptural quality of the Angels holding candles and swaying incense burners in the Coronation of the Virgin. The artist has also paid careful attention to the long robes with their very elaborate, deep folds, which are accentuated by the swaying posture of the figures.
Iconographically, the diptych is related to a small number of other known examples dedicated to the Virgin. The exceptionally high quality of this sculpture and the deep relief indicate its origins in Ill-de-France, more specifically Paris. The Flamboyant Gothic ornamentation in the architectural decoration and the typical flowing lines in the drapery point to a date in the middle of the 14th century, around 1350. For the quality of its workmanship and the iconographic choices, the present ivory can be compared to a diptych made ca. 1340-1360 in Paris, depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin and Christ kept in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (inv. nr. A.554-1910; Koechlin, 1924, pp. 174-75, cat. nr. 320; Williamson, 2014, pp. 278-279, cat. nr. 90). A second comparable diptych depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin and Christ carved in Paris in the second quarter of the 14th century, ca. 1320-1340 can be found in the collection of the Musée du Louvre in Paris (inv. nr. OA 2607; Koechlin, 1924, pp. 172, cat. nr. 292; Williamson, 2014, p. 274, p. 279, p. 290 and p.485). Comparable too are two diptychs illustrating similar Marian scenes both from the J. Pierpont Morgan collection and now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. nr. 17.190.251; and inv. nr. 17.190.167). A forth example with scenes from the life of the Virgin and carved in Paris ca. 1350-75 was sold at Sotheby’s Paris on 10 November 2021 as lot 7. A comparable Parisian diptych dated 1330-1350 depicting scenes of the Passion can be found in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (inv.nr. 5623-1859; Koechlin, 1924, pp. 167-68, nr. 288; Williamson, 2014, pp. 260-261, nr. 83). Further similar diptychs are kept in the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe (Beuckers, 1999, pp. 54-59, nr. 6), and in the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection (Williamson, 1987, pp. 126-127, nr. 24). In his expertise, Guy Ladrière compares the present diptych with a comparable piece kept in the collection of the Schatzkammer of Altötting (now hosed in Haus Papst Benedikt XVI; Koechlin, 1924, p. 133). The architectural crowning is comparable to the left wing of a diptych carved in Île-de-France and dating to ca. 1350 with a single pointed arch and consisting of one register in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv.nr. BK-NM-73555; Leeuwenberg, 1973, p. 443).