The Wingfield-Digby Crozier thumbnail 1
The Wingfield-Digby Crozier thumbnail 2
+2
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 9, The Dorothy and Michael Hintze Gallery

The Wingfield-Digby Crozier

Crozier Head
late 14th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is the head of a crozier in walrus ivory and later bone additions, made in Norway in the late fourteenth century.
Gothic art often depicted the natural world. Here, St Olav and another figure that probably represents St Augustine are entwined in foliage. The representation of a bishop’s staff as if made of foliage recalled the rod of Aaron in the Old Testament, which ‘brought forth buds and bloomed blossoms’. The present crozier is a rare example of a Scandinavian ivory carving.

The name crozier is commonly used for the crook-shaped pastoral staff of a bishop or abbot. It forms part of their insignia.
It was carried as a symbol of authority and pastoral care. It was made of various materials, but by the twelfth century ivory was in widespread use for the head of the crozier. The shaft was often made of wood, occasionally embellished with metal knops, although on Italian Gothic examples, ivory and bone cylinders were used in construction. French Gothic ivory crozier heads are predominantly of one design, with the Crucifixion and the Virgin and St John on one side and the Virgin and Child, flanked by candle-bearing angels, on the other. It appears that the principal face was that to be seen when the volute of the crozier was facing to the right.



Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Crozier Head
  • Crozier Head
TitleThe Wingfield-Digby Crozier (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Carved walrus ivory with traces of gilding; some later bone repairs
Brief description
Crozier head, walrus ivory and bone additions, 'The Wingfield-Digby Crozier', with figure of St Olav, King of Norway, Norway (probably Trondheim), late 14th century
Physical description
Crozier with traces of gilding, decorated with plant forms and on one side with a figure of St Olav, King of Norway, and on the other, probably St. Eystein (Augustine). The stem and the volute are covered with foliage and fruit. Crozier head is constructed of two pieces of walrus ivory jopined together diagonally across the volute. Unlike elephant ivory, walrus tusks were not of sufficient width to allow the carving of a normal-sized volute with one piece.
Dimensions
  • Including dowel height: 25.8cm
  • Width: 12.7cm
  • Depth: 9cm
  • Weight: 0.88kg
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries 2006.
Credit line
Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax
Object history
Known as the Digby crozier, because it had been in the possession of the Wingfield Digby family at Sherborne castle in Dorset for more than three hundred years. According to tradition, passed on by Lt.-Col. FR.J.B. Wingfield-Digby, DSO, in 1930, the crozier head was said to have belonged to theRight Revd Essex Digby, Bishop of Dromore (d. 1683) or to his son Simon Digby, Bishop of Elphin (d. 1720).
On loan to the museum 1930-2002. Accepted by H.M. Governement in lieu of inheritance tax (estate of S. Wingfield Digby) and allocated to the V&A in 2002.

Historical significance: The present crozier is a rare example of a Scandinavian ivory carving.
Historical context
The name crozier is commonly used for the crook-shaped pastoral staff of a bishop or abbot. It forms part of their insignia.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is the head of a crozier in walrus ivory and later bone additions, made in Norway in the late fourteenth century.
Gothic art often depicted the natural world. Here, St Olav and another figure that probably represents St Augustine are entwined in foliage. The representation of a bishop’s staff as if made of foliage recalled the rod of Aaron in the Old Testament, which ‘brought forth buds and bloomed blossoms’. The present crozier is a rare example of a Scandinavian ivory carving.

The name crozier is commonly used for the crook-shaped pastoral staff of a bishop or abbot. It forms part of their insignia.
It was carried as a symbol of authority and pastoral care. It was made of various materials, but by the twelfth century ivory was in widespread use for the head of the crozier. The shaft was often made of wood, occasionally embellished with metal knops, although on Italian Gothic examples, ivory and bone cylinders were used in construction. French Gothic ivory crozier heads are predominantly of one design, with the Crucifixion and the Virgin and St John on one side and the Virgin and Child, flanked by candle-bearing angels, on the other. It appears that the principal face was that to be seen when the volute of the crozier was facing to the right.

Bibliographic references
  • Williamson, Paul, ‘Recent Acquisitions (2000-06) of sculpture at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London’, in: The Burlington Magazine, CXLVIII, December, 2006, p. 888, fig V
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014 part 1, pp. 442-445
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, part 1, pp. 442-445, cat. no. 153
Other number
LOAN:WINGFIELD DIGBY.1:1 - Previous loan number
Collection
Accession number
A.1-2002

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 10, 2002
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest