Panel, ivory, depicting Christ Enthroned, Byzantine (Constantinople), middle or second half of the 10th century

Ivory panel depicting Christ seated on a wide, cushioned throne with bead-and-reel legs, his feet upon a footstool. His left hand holds a book resting on his knee and his right is raised in benediction from within the folds of his cloak. Vestiges of the plain background remain on each side of Christ's head, and traces of a cross can be seen at the level of Christ's ears. There are traces of crimson paint, mostly in the deep folds of the drapery and in the background around the footstool, are not original. There are three holes drilled.

Originally at the centre of a plaque, it probably formed part of a small triptych.
Originally the figure was part of a plaque, the background of which has been cut away. This was presumably done because the extremely thin background - seen on the best Byzantine plaques - had broken or been badly cracked. It is also not possible to judge if the throne was backless or had a high back, both types being depicted in Middle Byzantine ivories. There are traces of crimson paint, mostly in the deep folds of the drapery and in the background around the footstool, are not original. The three holes were probably drilled after the plaque's conversion to an applique figure, probably on a book cover.
In the possession of John Webb, London, purchased from Webb, 1867.

There are other Byzantine ivory plaques of the seated Christ, all very close to this example; one in the Bodleian Library in Oxford has also been cut away and now has a gilded background but others still have their ivory surround. The Christ was probably originally the centre of a triptych. Byzantine ivories have been divided into several stylistic groups. These 'groups' are not so clear-cut as it once seemed and their dating is a problematic issue since few pieces give any indication as to when they were produced and it is possible that the style of the carvings remained static for long periods of time, undergoing only minimal changes even over a century. The group to which this ivory belongs is known as the 'Romanos' group, from a plaque representing the Emperor Romanos and his bride Eudokia dated to either 945-949 or 1068-1071 depending on whether the two figures are seen as the Emperor Romanos II and his wife Eudokia or as the later Emperor Romanos IV and Eudokia Makrembolitissa.

This relief of Christ once formed part of a central plaque of a triptych but its original ivory background and frame have been cut away. Christ is shown as the Pantocrator ('Creator of All'), with his right hand raised in blessing. This was a Byzantine composition which was taken up in the West, especially in Venice and Sicily.
The group to which this ivory belongs is known as the 'Romanos' group, from a plaque representing the Emperor Romanos and his bride Eudokia dated to either 945-949 or 1068-1071 depending on whether the two figures are seen as the Emperor Romanos II and his wife Eudokia or as the later Emperor Romanos IV and Eudokia Makrembolitissa. The present carving belongs with the finest examples of this group, and its iconographic type - with Christ's right hand within the folds of his cloak - links it to earlier images of the Pantocreator from the late ninth century onwards.

273-1867