The Nativity with the Adoration of the Magi, the Crucifixion and the Last Judgement
Triptych
ca. 1300 (made)
ca. 1300 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an ivory triptych made in England in about 1300. The triptych depicts scenes of the Infancy and the Crucifixion of Christ. On the left wing are the scenes of the Annunciation, the Hesitation and the Annunciation to the Shepherds; on the right Herod instructing his soldiers and the Massacre of the Innocents. The central panel shows the Nativity below and the Crucifixion above; and in the gable at the top Christ is shown presiding over the Last Judgement.
Although the central panel was acquired by the museum in 1867, the wings of the triptych had by then been separated from it and eventually entered the Wernher Collection at Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire. They were allocated to the Museum by the Museum & Galleries Commission, following their acceptance in Lieu of inheritance tax.
The Gothic Triptych was to all intents and purposes a sub-branch of the tabernacle polyptych, with a shallower central panel and two, rather than four, hinged wings. The subject matter was the same, dominated by single images of the standing Virgin and Child and scenes from the infancy of Christ. Triptychs – like diptychs – are better suited to the needs of a travelling clientele, who would wish to take these small portable altars with them as aids to prayer. Some of them were intended to be carried in cases, usually of cuir bouilli (boiled leather).
Although the central panel was acquired by the museum in 1867, the wings of the triptych had by then been separated from it and eventually entered the Wernher Collection at Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire. They were allocated to the Museum by the Museum & Galleries Commission, following their acceptance in Lieu of inheritance tax.
The Gothic Triptych was to all intents and purposes a sub-branch of the tabernacle polyptych, with a shallower central panel and two, rather than four, hinged wings. The subject matter was the same, dominated by single images of the standing Virgin and Child and scenes from the infancy of Christ. Triptychs – like diptychs – are better suited to the needs of a travelling clientele, who would wish to take these small portable altars with them as aids to prayer. Some of them were intended to be carried in cases, usually of cuir bouilli (boiled leather).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | The Nativity with the Adoration of the Magi, the Crucifixion and the Last Judgement (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved elephant ivory |
| Brief description | Triptych, ivory, scenes of the Infancy and Crucifixion of Christ, English, ca. 1300 |
| Physical description | The central panel is divided into three compartments. At the bottom is the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi; in the middle the Crucifixion, with the Virgin and St John at the edges, two figures on ladders, apparently nailing Christ's hands to the Cross, a female figure collecting Christ's blood in a chalice at the foot of the Cross (either Ecclesia or Mary Magdalene) and Longinus and Stephaton; above, in the gable, is Christ in Judgement, flanked by the Blessed and a trumpeting angel to his right and by the Damned (partly missing) to his left. The lower and middle scenes take place under depressed trefoil arches with censing angels in the spandrels. The left wing shows the Blessed (including a bishop with mitre) rising from their graves in the half-gable, the Annunciation and Visitation in the middle, and the Annunciation to the Shepherds at the bottom. The right wing shows the Damned rising from their graves from the half-gable, the seated Herod, with sword, instructing his soldiers (one wearing a helm) in the middle, and those same soldiers carrying out the Massacre of the Innocents below. In the spandrels of both wings are pierced trefoils. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | The central panel was in the possession of John Webb, London, by 1862 and was purchsed from him in 1867 (£7). The wings were acquired by Sir Julius Wernher (1850-1912) at an unknown date; they remained in the Wernher Collection, first at Bath House, Piccadilly, and then at Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire, until 1996, their relationship to the V&A central panel first being noticed by Joseph Natanson in 1950-51; they were allocated to the V&A in 1996 by the Museum and Galleries Commission, following their acceptance in lieu of inheritance tax (Estate of Lady Anastasia Wernher). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is an ivory triptych made in England in about 1300. The triptych depicts scenes of the Infancy and the Crucifixion of Christ. On the left wing are the scenes of the Annunciation, the Hesitation and the Annunciation to the Shepherds; on the right Herod instructing his soldiers and the Massacre of the Innocents. The central panel shows the Nativity below and the Crucifixion above; and in the gable at the top Christ is shown presiding over the Last Judgement. Although the central panel was acquired by the museum in 1867, the wings of the triptych had by then been separated from it and eventually entered the Wernher Collection at Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire. They were allocated to the Museum by the Museum & Galleries Commission, following their acceptance in Lieu of inheritance tax. The Gothic Triptych was to all intents and purposes a sub-branch of the tabernacle polyptych, with a shallower central panel and two, rather than four, hinged wings. The subject matter was the same, dominated by single images of the standing Virgin and Child and scenes from the infancy of Christ. Triptychs – like diptychs – are better suited to the needs of a travelling clientele, who would wish to take these small portable altars with them as aids to prayer. Some of them were intended to be carried in cases, usually of cuir bouilli (boiled leather). |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 243:1, 2-1867 |
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| Record created | January 6, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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