The Virgin and Child
Relief
ca. 1600-1800 (made)
ca. 1600-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a relief, made probably in Greece, in the seventeenth to nineteenth century. The hieratical composition of this piece suggests it is based on an icon, that of the Theotokos Hodegetria, 'the Mother of God showing the Way' (by gesturing towards the Christ Child), ultimately derived from the celebrated miracle-working icon originally kept in the Hodegon Monastery in Constantinople. This was one of the most copied icons of the Byzantine world and version of it were - and are - ubiquitous around the Mediterranean, both in painted and sculpted form. Ivory plaques with the subject were often employed as the centres of triptychs in the middle Byzantine period. The present plaque, however, may have been made to function as an enkolpion, to be worn around the neck (although it would have needed a frame to allow this); or there is the possibility that it was simply held in the hand for personal devotion, being repeatedly kissed and worn down. The carving is relatively coarse.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Virgin and Child (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved ivory |
| Brief description | Relief, ivory, the Virgin and Child, probably Greece, seventeenth-nineteenth century |
| Physical description | A half-length representation of the Virgin and Child is shown in half-length in a rectangular relief with an integral incised frame. She wears a crown over her veil and supporting the Christ Child on her left arm. Two circles are on the Virgin's head and breast, and six more such circles are to be seen on the reverse in the form of a cross. Three raised cartouches have been carved in the top corners and alongside Christ, and may have once been inscribed with sacred texts. Traces of red pigment are apparent. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs Gilbertson in memory of her husband, Canon Gilbertson. |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mrs Gilbertson (d. 1940) in memory of her husband, Canon Lewis Gilbertson, Rector of St Martin's Church, Ludgate Hill, London, in 1940. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This is a relief, made probably in Greece, in the seventeenth to nineteenth century. The hieratical composition of this piece suggests it is based on an icon, that of the Theotokos Hodegetria, 'the Mother of God showing the Way' (by gesturing towards the Christ Child), ultimately derived from the celebrated miracle-working icon originally kept in the Hodegon Monastery in Constantinople. This was one of the most copied icons of the Byzantine world and version of it were - and are - ubiquitous around the Mediterranean, both in painted and sculpted form. Ivory plaques with the subject were often employed as the centres of triptychs in the middle Byzantine period. The present plaque, however, may have been made to function as an enkolpion, to be worn around the neck (although it would have needed a frame to allow this); or there is the possibility that it was simply held in the hand for personal devotion, being repeatedly kissed and worn down. The carving is relatively coarse. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.36-1940 |
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| Record created | February 26, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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