St Martin and the Beggar thumbnail 1
St Martin and the Beggar thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

St Martin and the Beggar

Relief
ca. 1590 - ca. 1610 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Ivory was popular as a material for religious subjects, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries. Spanish and Portuguese patrons imported ivories carved with Christian imagery from their territories overseas, such as the Philippines, Mexico and Goa. German and Netherlandish artists were renowned for their dexterity in ivory carving. Their reliefs are masterpieces of composition and virtuosity. On this relief St Martin is shown dividing his cloak to give half to a beggar.
This composition is based on a Netherlandish print. The Chinese carver copied the devotional inscription in Latin from the print ("He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again"), but the cursive script underneath, which probably gave the names of the engraver and publisher of the source were rendered indecipherable on the ivory. The relief is based on an engraving from the late sixteenth century by the Flemish print maker and designer Adriaen Collaert, after the Flemish artist Johannes Stradanus.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSt Martin and the Beggar (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved ivory
Brief description
Relief, ivory, 'St Martin and the Beggar', Hispano-filipino or Chinese, ca. 1590-1610
Physical description
St. Martin on horseback, divides his cloak with a sword and is presenting it to the crippled beggar leaning on a crutch on the right of the relief. Behind the beggar and slightly further to the right is a young man, above him the branches of a tree. On the left are two older male figures, before an architectural background, and below them, a hound. At the foot of the relief is a panel with two inscriptions, one of which is in a cursive script and indecipherable. A hole has been drilled into the top of the relief for suspension. The horse's bridle is broken.
Dimensions
  • Height: 14.5cm
  • Width: 9.5cm
Content description
The relief shows Martin of Tours and the Beggar. He is on horseback and shown dividing his cloak with the beggar.
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'FOENERATUR DOMINO, QUI MISERETUR FAVERIS / ET VICISSITUDINEM SUAM REDDET EI / PROVEB. XIX.' (Latin; At the foot of the relief)
    Translation
    'He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.'
  • Indecipherable. Probably gave the names of the engraver and publisher of the Netherlandish print it copied. (Cursive; At the foot of the relief)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Sir Victor Wellesley in 1954, London.
Object history
NB. While the term ‘crippled’ has been used in this record, it has since fallen from usage and is now considered offensive. The term is repeated in this record in its original historical context.

This relief is based on an engraving from the late sixteenth century by the Flemish print maker and designer Adriaen Collaert, after the Flemish artist Johannes Stradanus. The carver copied the devotional inscription in Latin from the print ("He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again"), but the cursive script underneath, which probably gave the names of the engraver and publisher of the source were rendered indecipherable on the ivory. The style of carving, fusing Asian and European forms, is typical of ivories of sacred subjects made in China and the Philippines for export to Spain, and it is likely to date from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, based on the late sixteenth-century engraved source.
Production
Based on a Netherlandish print. By a Chinese carver.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Ivory was popular as a material for religious subjects, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries. Spanish and Portuguese patrons imported ivories carved with Christian imagery from their territories overseas, such as the Philippines, Mexico and Goa. German and Netherlandish artists were renowned for their dexterity in ivory carving. Their reliefs are masterpieces of composition and virtuosity. On this relief St Martin is shown dividing his cloak to give half to a beggar.
This composition is based on a Netherlandish print. The Chinese carver copied the devotional inscription in Latin from the print ("He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again"), but the cursive script underneath, which probably gave the names of the engraver and publisher of the source were rendered indecipherable on the ivory. The relief is based on an engraving from the late sixteenth century by the Flemish print maker and designer Adriaen Collaert, after the Flemish artist Johannes Stradanus.
Bibliographic references
  • Clunas, Craig. Chinese Carving, London, 1996, pp. 15-16 and fig. 3
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013 pp. 351, 352
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, pp. 351, 352, cat. no. 346
Collection
Accession number
A.8-1955

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 createdJanuary 14, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest