Fourty Martyrs of Sebaste
Panel
1st century-2nd century (made), 1873-1834 (made)
1st century-2nd century (made), 1873-1834 (made)
This is a fictile ivory panel, depicting the Fourty Martyrs of Sebaste. The original is in the Staatliche Museen in Berlin. The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste were a group of Roman soldiers who refused to renounce their Christian faith. In punishment, they were stripped and driven onto an ice lake to freeze to death. In the ivory and its copy here, the expressions of cold and suffering and contorted limbs of the freezing soldiers are very apparent.
To achieve the amount of detail of the fictile called for very careful moulding. Each soldier is contorted in a different fashion and the undercutting on the ivory, especially around the legs of the Martyrs and the winged angels flanking Christ is considerable.
To achieve the amount of detail of the fictile called for very careful moulding. Each soldier is contorted in a different fashion and the undercutting on the ivory, especially around the legs of the Martyrs and the winged angels flanking Christ is considerable.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Fourty Martyrs of Sebaste (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Fictile ivory |
| Brief description | Scent box fragment w3. Panel, fictile ivory, Fourty Martyrs of Sebaste, 19 century? |
| Summary | This is a fictile ivory panel, depicting the Fourty Martyrs of Sebaste. The original is in the Staatliche Museen in Berlin. The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste were a group of Roman soldiers who refused to renounce their Christian faith. In punishment, they were stripped and driven onto an ice lake to freeze to death. In the ivory and its copy here, the expressions of cold and suffering and contorted limbs of the freezing soldiers are very apparent. To achieve the amount of detail of the fictile called for very careful moulding. Each soldier is contorted in a different fashion and the undercutting on the ivory, especially around the legs of the Martyrs and the winged angels flanking Christ is considerable. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | REPRO.1873-3 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
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