The Deposition and the Entombment
Panel
ca. 1760 - ca. 1790 (made)
ca. 1760 - ca. 1790 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ivory relief depicting the Deposition from the Cross dates from the second half of the eighteenth century, and was probably produced by the Belleteste workshop in Dieppe, who carved many small devotional objects in ivory in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The main relief shows Christ being lowered from the cross by five men standing on ladders, with the Virgin Mary, St Mary Magdalene and other mourning women below. The scene is framed by an arch supported by slender columns decorated with cherubim and garlands. The background is pierced to resemble lace, and at the bottom is the inscription: 'MORTUUS MORTUIS VITAM FACIT' (the death of death makes life). To the left is a putto carved from a separate piece of ivory, holding a bunch of grapes; another on the right holds a chalice and wafer, representing the Eucharist.
On the ebony base pierced ivory panels set over metal foil show the Entombment and the instruments of the Passion, flanked by ivory columns at either side. The background has been broken and repaired.
The main relief shows Christ being lowered from the cross by five men standing on ladders, with the Virgin Mary, St Mary Magdalene and other mourning women below. The scene is framed by an arch supported by slender columns decorated with cherubim and garlands. The background is pierced to resemble lace, and at the bottom is the inscription: 'MORTUUS MORTUIS VITAM FACIT' (the death of death makes life). To the left is a putto carved from a separate piece of ivory, holding a bunch of grapes; another on the right holds a chalice and wafer, representing the Eucharist.
On the ebony base pierced ivory panels set over metal foil show the Entombment and the instruments of the Passion, flanked by ivory columns at either side. The background has been broken and repaired.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Deposition and the Entombment (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Ivory with metal foil on wood base in a glazed ebony frame |
| Brief description | House altar, ivory, the Deposition and the Entombment, attributed to the workshop of Jean-Antoine Belleteste, France (Dieppe), ca. 1760-90 |
| Physical description | Relief in ivory on an ebony and ivory base. The main relief shows the body of Christ being lowered from the Cross by five men on ladders. Below are the Virgin, St Mary Magdalen and other mourning women. The scene is framed by an arch supported by slender columns decorated with cherub heads and festoons. The background it pierced to resemble net and at the bottom is inscribed 'MORTUUS MORTUIS VITAM FACIT'. A putto to the left, carved on a separate piece os ivory, holds a bunch of grapes and a similar putto to the right holds a chalice with the wafer. Pierced ivory panels mounted over foil on the ebony base show the Entombment and the Instruments of the Passions. There is an ivory column at either end. The background has been broken and repaired. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'MORTUUS MORTUIS VITAM FACIT' (at bottom)
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Sigismund Goetze |
| Object history | Given by Mrs Sigismund Goetze, Grove House, Park Road, London in 1941. The donor was the widow of the painter, Sigismund Goetze (1866-1939), who was born in Britain of German descent. Sigismund Goetze and his wife gave a number of objects to the Museum over a period of years from 1922 to 1945. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This ivory relief depicting the Deposition from the Cross dates from the second half of the eighteenth century, and was probably produced by the Belleteste workshop in Dieppe, who carved many small devotional objects in ivory in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The main relief shows Christ being lowered from the cross by five men standing on ladders, with the Virgin Mary, St Mary Magdalene and other mourning women below. The scene is framed by an arch supported by slender columns decorated with cherubim and garlands. The background is pierced to resemble lace, and at the bottom is the inscription: 'MORTUUS MORTUIS VITAM FACIT' (the death of death makes life). To the left is a putto carved from a separate piece of ivory, holding a bunch of grapes; another on the right holds a chalice and wafer, representing the Eucharist. On the ebony base pierced ivory panels set over metal foil show the Entombment and the instruments of the Passion, flanked by ivory columns at either side. The background has been broken and repaired. |
| Bibliographic reference | Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 242 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.31-1941 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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