Mirror Case
second half 15th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an ivory lid of a pyx made in the second half of the fifteenth century in Germany (Lower Rhine) or the Netherlands. The relief represents God the Father holding the figure of the Dead Christ and attended by a weeping angel.
The boyonet mounts around the outside of the chevron border show that the carved face of the roundel formed the inside of a lid for a pyx, facing downwards towards the contents of the cylindrical box. The iconography of the relief, showing the sacrifice of Christ, was eminently suitable for a pyx containing the Host, the Eucharistic Body of Christ.
The boyonet mounts around the outside of the chevron border show that the carved face of the roundel formed the inside of a lid for a pyx, facing downwards towards the contents of the cylindrical box. The iconography of the relief, showing the sacrifice of Christ, was eminently suitable for a pyx containing the Host, the Eucharistic Body of Christ.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved elephant ivory, partially painted |
| Brief description | Lid, if a pyx, ivory, God and the dead Christ, German (Lower Rhine) or Netherlandish, second half of fifteenth century |
| Physical description | Lid of a Pyx, ivory, carved in low relief with God and the dead Christ. The figure of the dead Christ is shown supported by God the Father (both figures without haloes) on the left and by a weeping angel on the right, with a cross-hatched background. The beards of both have been highlighted in black paint, the hair of the angel in gold. The eyes, eyebrows and lips of all three figures have been picked out in black and red respectively, with the wounds of Christ in red. The border is decorated with chevron ornament of alternating plain and ribbed design. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | In the possession of John Webb, London, by 1862 (London 1862, cat. no. 143); purchased from Webb in 1867, for £8. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is an ivory lid of a pyx made in the second half of the fifteenth century in Germany (Lower Rhine) or the Netherlands. The relief represents God the Father holding the figure of the Dead Christ and attended by a weeping angel. The boyonet mounts around the outside of the chevron border show that the carved face of the roundel formed the inside of a lid for a pyx, facing downwards towards the contents of the cylindrical box. The iconography of the relief, showing the sacrifice of Christ, was eminently suitable for a pyx containing the Host, the Eucharistic Body of Christ. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 225-1867 |
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| Record created | August 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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