Christ in Majesty and the Coronation of the Virgin
Diptych Leaf
1320-1340 (made)
1320-1340 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an ivory diptych made in France (Paris) in about 1320-1340. It depicts Christ in Majesty and the Coronation of the Virgin.
Such ivory plaques were normally arranged in diptychs or triptychs. Diptychs consisted of two tablets hinged together, while triptychs were two tablets hinged on either side of a central tablet. The smaller ones were probably held in the hand and opened like a small book, while the larger ones would have stood open on a table or altar.
The devotional diptych is in many ways the object type most associated with the notion of Gothic ivory carving. The earliest examples probably date to the 1240s; these are complex, large and ambitious works that emerged, somewhat surprisingly, with no obvious precursors. The owners of ivory diptychs sometimes appear within their images. Such portraits indicate that they were special requests on the part of their commissioners, and they parallel the similar figures that appear in manuscripts and panel paintings of the period. The iconography of Gothic diptychs oscillated between two poles. The first of which is the desire to present narratives (Life of Christ and Virgin Mary) for envisaging. The second was the use of non-narrative images to form the focus of devotion.
Such ivory plaques were normally arranged in diptychs or triptychs. Diptychs consisted of two tablets hinged together, while triptychs were two tablets hinged on either side of a central tablet. The smaller ones were probably held in the hand and opened like a small book, while the larger ones would have stood open on a table or altar.
The devotional diptych is in many ways the object type most associated with the notion of Gothic ivory carving. The earliest examples probably date to the 1240s; these are complex, large and ambitious works that emerged, somewhat surprisingly, with no obvious precursors. The owners of ivory diptychs sometimes appear within their images. Such portraits indicate that they were special requests on the part of their commissioners, and they parallel the similar figures that appear in manuscripts and panel paintings of the period. The iconography of Gothic diptychs oscillated between two poles. The first of which is the desire to present narratives (Life of Christ and Virgin Mary) for envisaging. The second was the use of non-narrative images to form the focus of devotion.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Christ in Majesty and the Coronation of the Virgin (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Elephant ivory |
| Brief description | Diptych leaf, ivory, the Coronation of the Virgin and Christ in Majesti, France (Paris), ca. 1320-1340 |
| Physical description | Ivory diptych. On the one leaf Christ Enthroned in a quatrefoil, in the centre with the symbols of the Evangelists in the outer corners. He is raising his right hand in blessing, while holding a globus cruciger in his left. He is surrounded in the corners by the four symbols of the Evangelists. On the second leaf the Coronation of the Virgin in the central quatrefoil and Angels with musical instruments or swinging censers in the corners. Below, two seated angels, their wings not visible, play a portable organ and a psaltery. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Acquired in London. Purchased from John Hunt, London, in 1937, for £50. A photograph of the diptych appears among the stock books of the Paris and New York firm of Demotte, suggesting that it had earlier passed through the company's hands (Demotte Photo Archive, The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Box 2.3, photo 6505). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is an ivory diptych made in France (Paris) in about 1320-1340. It depicts Christ in Majesty and the Coronation of the Virgin. Such ivory plaques were normally arranged in diptychs or triptychs. Diptychs consisted of two tablets hinged together, while triptychs were two tablets hinged on either side of a central tablet. The smaller ones were probably held in the hand and opened like a small book, while the larger ones would have stood open on a table or altar. The devotional diptych is in many ways the object type most associated with the notion of Gothic ivory carving. The earliest examples probably date to the 1240s; these are complex, large and ambitious works that emerged, somewhat surprisingly, with no obvious precursors. The owners of ivory diptychs sometimes appear within their images. Such portraits indicate that they were special requests on the part of their commissioners, and they parallel the similar figures that appear in manuscripts and panel paintings of the period. The iconography of Gothic diptychs oscillated between two poles. The first of which is the desire to present narratives (Life of Christ and Virgin Mary) for envisaging. The second was the use of non-narrative images to form the focus of devotion. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.2-1937 |
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| Record created | April 26, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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