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The Raising of Lazarus

Panel
12th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This relief panel, probably made in Byzantium (Constantinople) or the Holy Land in the 12th century, represents the Raising of Lazarus.
It is likely that the plaque formed part of the left wing of a Passion triptych, with the panel showing the Threnos or Lamentation, now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Between the scenes was a panel with a large blossoming leaf, the stalk of which can be seen above the upper border of the New York plaque. The reconstructed wing would have exactly resembled two leaves in two plaques in Pesaro and the dimensions would have been the same. The style and facture of all these pieces are identical and they must emanate from the same workshop.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Raising of Lazarus (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Elephant ivory
Brief description
Panel, ivory, the Raising of Lazarus, Byzantine (Constantinople) or the Holy Land, 12th century
Physical description
Relief in ivory. Christ stands on the left before the tomb, bidding Lazarus to emerge, while an attendentunwinds the linen strip with his left hand and covers his mouth with his right. The door of the tomb lies on the ground and a stylized palm tree is shown above Christ's head. At the top and bottom are borders of acanthus. Inscribed on the back with the Greek letter alpha. There are three pierced holes in the ivory.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9.3cm
  • Width: 4.3cm
Marks and inscriptions
The greek letter alpha. (on the back)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mrs Cowell
Object history
Bequest of Mrs Cowell, 1925.
It is likely that the plaque formed part of the left wing of a Passion triptych, with the panel showing the Threnos or Lamentation, now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Between the scenes was a panel with a large blossoming leaf, the stalk of which can be seen above the upper border of the New York plaque. The reconstructed wing would have exactly resembled two leaves in two plaques in Pesaro and the dimensions would have been the same. The style and facture of all these pieces are identical and they must emanate from the same workshop.
Production
Byzantine. Formerly believed to be Italian (Venetian) of the late 12th or early 13th century.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This relief panel, probably made in Byzantium (Constantinople) or the Holy Land in the 12th century, represents the Raising of Lazarus.
It is likely that the plaque formed part of the left wing of a Passion triptych, with the panel showing the Threnos or Lamentation, now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Between the scenes was a panel with a large blossoming leaf, the stalk of which can be seen above the upper border of the New York plaque. The reconstructed wing would have exactly resembled two leaves in two plaques in Pesaro and the dimensions would have been the same. The style and facture of all these pieces are identical and they must emanate from the same workshop.
Bibliographic references
  • Goldschmidt, A. and Weitzmann, K. Die byzantinischen Elfenbeinskulpturen des X. - XIII. Jahrhunderts, Zweiter Band: Reliefs, Berlin, 1934 (reprinted, Berlin, 1979), cat.no. 122.
  • Keck, Andrew S. A Group of Italo-Byzantine Ivories. The Art Bullentin. XII, 1930. p. 148. fig. 2.
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1927-1929. Part I. p. 45.
  • Williamson, Paul. Medieval Ivory Carvings. Early Christian to Romanesque. London, V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, 2010, pp. 138, 9, cat.no. 32
  • Catalogue of an exhibition of carvings in ivory, London : Privately printed for the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1923 67
Collection
Accession number
A.66-1925

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Record createdJanuary 8, 2004
Record URL
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