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Not currently on display at the V&A

Figure

late 14th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Italy (made)

This is an ivory top of a knife, depicting a lion with stylised leaves. This lion is considerably larger than other ones on gravoires and therefore comes from a different kind of object, mostl likely a knife. Several comparable complete examples survive, all Italian and of the late fourteenth century. They were no doubt produced in the workshops that produced gravoirs.


Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Accessories
Object type
Figure
Materials and techniques
Carved elephant ivory
Ivory
Carving
Brief description
Top of knife handle, ivory, a lion, North Italy, late 14th century
Physical description
Figure of a crouching lion on top of a rectangular capitsal with stylized leaves; before it is a small quadruped, perhaps a little dog.
Dimensions
  • Height: 4.1cm
  • At base width: 3.1cm
  • Depth: 1.1cm
Object history
Bought in Naples in 1861 for 9s 3d.
Subjects depicted
Lion
Dog
Summary
This is an ivory top of a knife, depicting a lion with stylised leaves. This lion is considerably larger than other ones on gravoires and therefore comes from a different kind of object, mostl likely a knife. Several comparable complete examples survive, all Italian and of the late fourteenth century. They were no doubt produced in the workshops that produced gravoirs.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1861. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 20
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. Part II. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1929, p. 62
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014 part II, p. 641
  • Maskell, W., A Description of the Ivories Ancient and Medieval in the South Kensington Museum, London, 1872 p. 27
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, part II, p. 641, cat. no. 223
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
7501-1861

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O313369/figure-unknown/
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