Mirror back showing an Assembly of Lovers, carved elephant ivory, Paris (France) or possibly Lower Rhine (Cologne), beginning of the 14th century

This mirror back carved of elephant ivory depicts an assembly of lovers in a composition effectively divided into two. Above, looking out from behind a balcony with a trellis-like decoration, there are three couples framed by trilobed arches. The central couple occupy a position of honour, with a cloth draped over the balcony. The lady holds a flowered crown, while the gentlemean offers a rose to be added to it. Two seated dogs occupy the triangular spaces in the corners.

Below, there are three more couples in a garden setting. On the left, the young man places his left arm around the lady's shoulders and points with his right hand, while she holds a small dog in her left arm; in the centre, a gentleman approaches a lady wearing a belted gown and tight bonnet, caressing her chin with his left hand and patting her groin with his right. On the right, the man kneels before the woman, presenting his heart to her between his hands as he is being crowned.

The mirror back has suffered the loss of two of the crawling monsters on the rim. Their former presence is indicated by the raised areas on the edge. The beast at the upper left has the central part of its tail missing. There are three long vertical cracks, one on the left having opened slightly and with a thin section of ivory now missing between the two figures on the balcony. Two small holes, one larger than the other, have been drilled through the ivory below the central arch. There are dirt residues visible in the balcony decoration, and on the reverse discoloured pigmentation remains on the two monsters. Inside the reverse of the mirror back, around the rim, considerable amounts of an unidentified substance are evident.

Formerly in the collection of Louis Fould, Paris; Fould sale, Paris, 4 June 1860, lot 1697. In the possession of John Webb, London, by 1862 (London 1862, cat. no. 133); purchased from Webb in 1867, for £40.

This is an ivory mirror back, depicting an assembly of lovers, made in Paris or possibly Cologne, at the beginning of the fourteenth century.

During the 14th century specialist ivory craftsmen carved both secular and religious objects in great numbers. Although Paris was the main centre of production, other workshops emerged in Italy and Germany. Some of the craftsmen may have been trained in Paris as their work often combines French and local styles.

Ivory combs, together with mirror cases and gravoirs for parting the hair, formed an essential part of the trousse de toilette or étui (dressing case) of the typical wealthy lady or gentleman in the Gothic period.

Gothic ivory mirror backs survive in considerable numbers. The ivory cases themselves, usually between 8 and 14 cm in diameter, consisted of two paired ivory discs (described here as ‘mirror backs’), often with four crawling monsters or lions (or leaves) carved around the outer edge. These ornamental features would transform the circle into a square and make the opening of the case easier, although their vulnerability to breakage is now all too evident.
The majority of the ivory mirror cases and their leather boxes must have been purchased as expensive gifts, to be presented by the wealthy élite to their friends, family and lovers, and often as wedding presents. The subject matter of the mirror backs was almost exclusively secular.

220-1867