During the period 900-1200, ivories were produced all over Europe, often in monasteries and ecclesiastical or royal courts. Pieces such as these were used for liturgical purposes. Ivory carvings appeared on book covers, reliquary caskets, antependia (the panel in front of an altar) and religious icons. Forty days after his Resurrection, Christ was taken up to heaven in a cloud by angels, leaving behind the apostles and the Virgin. Here the prophet Habakkuk is shown beneath, holding a scroll inscribed in Latin ‘The sun is risen’.
A place of production in Cologne and a date around the middle of the 12th century have been established for this and related pieces. The panel is part of six reliefs (in different museums) belonging together and which probably have once formed an altar frontal, or a setting on some other type of church furniture, such as a door or pulpit.
Physical description
Relief in walrus ivory made up of slices of tusk fastened together; depicts the Ascension of our Saviour; Christ strides upwards in a mandorla, holding in his left hand the banner of the Resurrection. He steps up from a round stone on top of Mount Olivet, on which are incised flowers and the inscription ABACVC. This refers the prophet Habakkuk below, holding a scroll inscribed ELEVATUS EST SOL (Risen in the Sun). The mandorla is embellished with faux-jewelled effect and wisps of cloud decorate the inside. To the right are the Virgin and five apostles, to the left the other six apostles, and above are the Dextera Dei and two angels who grasp who grasp the mandorla. Panel is made up of three plaques of walrus ivory. dovetailed together. Black ink, clearly Post-Medieval fills the lines of the incised flowers below Habacuc.
Place of Origin
Köln (city), Germany (made)
Date
ca. 1150-1160 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Walrus ivory
Marks and inscriptions
'ELEVATUS EST SOL' 'Risen in the Sun'
Dimensions
Height: 14.5 cm, Width: 11.3 cm at top
Object history note
Purchased from Webb, £45.
A place of production in Cologne and a date around the middle of the 12th century have been established for this and related pieces. The panel is part of six reliefs (in different museums) belonging together and which probably have once formed an altar frontal, or a setting on some other type of church furniture, such as a door or pulpit.
Descriptive line
Panel relief, walrus ivory, The Ascension, Germany (Cologne), ca. 1150-1160
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Lasko, Peter. Ars sacra : 800-1200. Harmondsworth : Penguin Books, 1972, pp.179-80.
Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1927. Part I. p. 78.
Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1867. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868., p. 10.
Williamson, Paul. Medieval Ivory Carvings. Early Christian to Romanesque. London, V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, 2010, pp. 282, 3, cat.no. 73
Exhibition History
Rhein und Maas :Kunst und Kultur 800 - 1400 (Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels 05/09/1972-30/10/1972)
Rhein und Maas :Kunst und Kultur 800 - 1400 (Kunsthalle, Cologne 14/05/1972-23/07/1972)
Romanesque Art from British Collections (Manchester Art Gallery 01/09/1959-31/10/1959)
Ornamenta Ecclesiaekunst und Künstler der Romanik in Köln. (Josef-Haubrich Kunsthalle 07/03/1985-09/06/1985)
Materials
Ivory
Techniques
Carving
Subjects depicted
Flowers; Jesus Christ; Angels; Scroll; Banner; Heaven; Mount of Olives; Habakkuk
Categories
Sculpture; Religion; Christianity; Plaques & Plaquettes
Collection code
SCP
