The Ascension
Panel
first half of 11th century (made)
first half of 11th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Virgin does not feature in biblical accounts of Christ's ascent to Heaven from the Mount of Olives. On this plaque, however, she participates in the scene as a central figure, with her hands in the 'orans' (prayer) position. The inclusion of Mary reflects her great importance in Byzantine spiritual life.
The plaque originally formed part of a triptych. The upper and lower borders have the two holes commonly seen on the central panels of Byzantine triptychs. These would have held ivory pegs securing two separate strips of ivory to the front of the plaque, which in turn held the wings in place. The triptych to which it belonged would have been a modest product of a workshop producing such objects in good numbers, and is likely to have been made some decades after the best works of the second half of the tenth century.
The plaque originally formed part of a triptych. The upper and lower borders have the two holes commonly seen on the central panels of Byzantine triptychs. These would have held ivory pegs securing two separate strips of ivory to the front of the plaque, which in turn held the wings in place. The triptych to which it belonged would have been a modest product of a workshop producing such objects in good numbers, and is likely to have been made some decades after the best works of the second half of the tenth century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Ascension (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved elephant ivory |
| Brief description | Panel, ivory, The Ascension, Byzantine (Constantinople), first half of the eleventh century |
| Physical description | Relief in ivory. Above, two flying angels uphold a mandorla containing the seated figure of Christ blessing, The mandorla has radiating beaded strips, a feature only found on one other Byzantine ivory (295-1867). Below, the Virgin orans stands in the centre surrounded by groups of the Disciples, six on each side. Four tall Cypresses grow up behind the apostles. There are four holes which puncture the frame. The back is plain and the sides have a gently curving chamfer. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Credit line | From the Robinson Collection |
| Object history | Acquired from the Robinson Collection. The plaque originally formed part of a triptych. The upper and lower borders have the two holes commonly seen on the central panels of Byzantine triptychs. These would have held ivory pegs securing two separate strips of ivory to the front of the plaque, which in turn held the wings in place. The triptych to which it belonged would have been a modest product of a workshop producing such objects in good numbers, and is likely to have been made some decades after the best works of the second half of the tenth century. |
| Historical context | The relief is limited by the size and shape of the raw material from which it is carved. The scale and the four holes which perforate the border suggest that it was originally used as a book cover. The Ascension, in which Christ rises to heaven above the heads of the Apostles and the Virgin Mary, was often used to decorate books and is here depicted in a conventional manner. Cutler notes the present ivory as demonstrative of the careful planning required to execute feet which project beyond (as well as sink into) the groundline. Feet that extend in to space had to be planned when the craftsman blocked out his schema of discrete mass. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | The Bible Acts 1:9-12 |
| Summary | The Virgin does not feature in biblical accounts of Christ's ascent to Heaven from the Mount of Olives. On this plaque, however, she participates in the scene as a central figure, with her hands in the 'orans' (prayer) position. The inclusion of Mary reflects her great importance in Byzantine spiritual life. The plaque originally formed part of a triptych. The upper and lower borders have the two holes commonly seen on the central panels of Byzantine triptychs. These would have held ivory pegs securing two separate strips of ivory to the front of the plaque, which in turn held the wings in place. The triptych to which it belonged would have been a modest product of a workshop producing such objects in good numbers, and is likely to have been made some decades after the best works of the second half of the tenth century. |
| Associated object | REPRO.1886C-114 (Copy) |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 152-1879 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 22, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
