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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

the God of Love and a Couple

Mirror Case
ca. 1300-1320 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is an ivory mirror back, depicting the God of Love and a Couple, made in Paris, in about 1300-1320.

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. The God of Love appears regularly on ivory mirror backs, often pictured in the branches of a tree, like in the present piece.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titlethe God of Love and a Couple (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Elephant ivory
Brief description
Mirror case, ivory, the God of Love and a Couple, France (Paris), ca. 1300-1320
Physical description
The scene depicts the crowned God of Love, seated among the branches of a tree, with his legs crossed, holding two arrows which he points at two lovers standing below, to his right, a lady holding a chaplet, and to his left a gentleman holding a hawk. These are traditional symbols of amour courtois. The corner terminals of the ivory are formed by four crawling monsters with long ears and tails.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9.6cm
  • Width: 9.2cm
Style
Object history
In the possession of John Webb, London, by 1862 (London 1862, cat. no. 137); purchased from Webb in 1867, for £35.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is an ivory mirror back, depicting the God of Love and a Couple, made in Paris, in about 1300-1320.

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. The God of Love appears regularly on ivory mirror backs, often pictured in the branches of a tree, like in the present piece.
Associated object
REPRO.1873-333 (Reproduction)
Bibliographic references
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1927-1929, Part II, p. 47
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1867. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 8
  • Maskell, W., A Description of the Ivories Ancient and Medieval in the South Kensington Museum, London, 1872 p. 84
  • Westwood, J O. A descriptive catalogue of the Fictile Ivories in the South Kensington Museum. With an Account of the Continental Collections of Classical and Mediaeval Ivories. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1876 p. 312
  • Koechlin, R., Les Ivoires gothiques français, 3 vols, Paris, 1924 (reprinted Paris 1968) I, pp. 400, 402, II, cat. no. 1068, III, pl. CLXXXIII
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014 part II, pp. 578-579
  • Westwood, J O. A descriptive catalogue of the Fictile Ivories in the South Kensington Museum. With an Account of the Continental Collections of Classical and Mediaeval Ivories. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1876 p. 312
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, part II, pp. 578-579, cat. no. 198
Collection
Accession number
221-1867

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Record createdApril 26, 2005
Record URL
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