A knight offering his heart to a lady thumbnail 1
A knight offering his heart to a lady thumbnail 2
+1
images
Not currently on display at the V&A

A knight offering his heart to a lady

Mirror Back
ca. 1380-1390 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This fragment of an ivory mirror back was made in about 1380-90, probably in Northern Italy (Milan). It depicts a knight offering his heart to a lady.
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.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleA knight offering his heart to a lady (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Elephant ivory
Brief description
Mirror back, ivory, fragment, a knight offering his heart to a lady, probably North Italian (Milan), ca. 1380-1390
Physical description
Fragment of a mirror back depicting a knight offering a heart to a lady in a garden flanked by buildings. The subjects is within a quatrefoil, the spandrils of which are filled with tracery and roses.
He is wearing a belted and buttoned pourpoint with sword and the lady is dressed in a houppelande with long tippets hanging from the sleeves at the elbows; her hair is braided and netted. The walls of a palace or castle are shown at each side and the figures are separated by a tree which grows oput of rocky ground.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.9cm
  • Width: 5.71cm
Credit line
Given by Sydney Vacher
Object history
Given by Sydney Vacher, Oxted, Surrey, in 1920; previous history not known.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This fragment of an ivory mirror back was made in about 1380-90, probably in Northern Italy (Milan). It depicts a knight offering his heart to a lady.
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.
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. 49
  • Randall, Richard H. The Golden age of Ivory: Gothic carvings in North American Collections. New York: Hudson Hills Press. 1993, cat. no. 213
  • Review [1911-1938], Victoria & Albert Museum. Review of the Principal Acquisitions during the Year, London, 1920, p. 3
  • 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. 602-603
  • 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. 602-603, cat. no. 207
Collection
Accession number
A.108-1920

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

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest