Scenes from the book of Joshua
Plaque
second half of 10th century (made)
second half of 10th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ivory plaque, made in Constantinople in the second half of the tenth century, comes from the side of an ivory casket. Such recepticles were often decorated with scenes inspired by Roman art and mythology. The panel depicts the biblical hero Joshua. The scenes can be matched exactly in, and were probably copied from the Joshua Rotulus manuscript in the Vatican Library, which itself derived from a 5th-6th century model. The plaque is a telling example for the legacy of Roman imagery and adapted style. The dimensions of the plaque indicate that the casket from which it - or the component parts - came was of larger than average size. Such caskets would have been suitable as gifts to high-ranking military commanders or the Emperor himself.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Scenes from the book of Joshua (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Elephant ivory |
| Brief description | Plaque, ivory, depicting Joshua receiving envoys from Gibeon, Byzanz (Constantinople), second half of 10th century |
| Physical description | The panel depict two scenes. In the first Joshua sits upon a chair receiving two men who offer gifts wrapped in their mantles, in the second he appears to beckon to two warriors armed with shields and helmets.The plaque is made up of three pieces which were presumably joined together after the panels had been detached from a casket. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Acquired from John Webb in 1867. Historical significance: The scenes can be matched exacly in, and were probably copied from the Joshua Rotulus manuscript in the Vatican Library, which itself derived from a 5th-6th century model. The plaque is a telling example for the legacy of Roman imagery and adapted style. |
| Historical context | The casket to which the pieces were originally attached would have been decorated with rosettes such as the Veroli casket. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This ivory plaque, made in Constantinople in the second half of the tenth century, comes from the side of an ivory casket. Such recepticles were often decorated with scenes inspired by Roman art and mythology. The panel depicts the biblical hero Joshua. The scenes can be matched exactly in, and were probably copied from the Joshua Rotulus manuscript in the Vatican Library, which itself derived from a 5th-6th century model. The plaque is a telling example for the legacy of Roman imagery and adapted style. The dimensions of the plaque indicate that the casket from which it - or the component parts - came was of larger than average size. Such caskets would have been suitable as gifts to high-ranking military commanders or the Emperor himself. |
| Associated object | REPRO.1858-166 (Reproduction) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 265-1867 |
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| Record created | May 16, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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