The Presentation in the Temple
Diptych
1350-1375 (made)
1350-1375 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This ivory panel is the upper half of the right wing of a diptych, made in 1350-1375. It is possibly eastern French or Rhenish, depicting the Presentation in the Temple. The ivory has been stained brown and is surmounted by three cusped and crocketted arches. The carving is high quality and the composition without St. Joseph is unusual.
The devotional diptych is in many ways the object type most associated with the notion of Gothic ivory carving. The earliest examples probably date to the 1240s; these are complex, large and ambitious works that emerged, somewhat surprisingly, with no obvious precursors. The owners of ivory diptychs sometimes appear within their images. Such portraits indicate that they were special requests on the part of their commissioners, and they parallel the similar figures that appear in manuscripts and panel paintings of the period. The iconography of Gothic diptychs oscillated between two poles. The first of which is the desire to present narratives (Life of Christ and Virgin Mary) for envisaging. The second was the use of non-narrative images to form the focus of devotion.
The devotional diptych is in many ways the object type most associated with the notion of Gothic ivory carving. The earliest examples probably date to the 1240s; these are complex, large and ambitious works that emerged, somewhat surprisingly, with no obvious precursors. The owners of ivory diptychs sometimes appear within their images. Such portraits indicate that they were special requests on the part of their commissioners, and they parallel the similar figures that appear in manuscripts and panel paintings of the period. The iconography of Gothic diptychs oscillated between two poles. The first of which is the desire to present narratives (Life of Christ and Virgin Mary) for envisaging. The second was the use of non-narrative images to form the focus of devotion.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | The Presentation in the Temple (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Elephant ivory |
Brief description | Diptych, right leaf, ivory, The Presentation in the Temple, probably eastern French or Rhenish, 1350-1375 |
Physical description | Half of the wing of a diptych. In the centre the Virgin holds the Child, who stands on a draped altar, also supported by the High Priest on the right. Behind the Virgin is a maidservant carrying a basket with the offering of doves and a large tape. Surmounted by three cusped and crocketted arches. The ivory is stained brown. This is apparently the upper half of the right wing of a diptych. The quality of the carving is good and the composition without St. Joseph is unusual. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs Gilbertson in memory of her husband, Canon Gilbertson. |
Object history | In the collection of Canon Lewis Gilbertson, Rector of St Martin's Church, Ludgate Hill, London, by 1928; bequeathed by Mrs Gilbertson (d.1940) in memory of her husband, Canon Gilbertson, in 1940. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This ivory panel is the upper half of the right wing of a diptych, made in 1350-1375. It is possibly eastern French or Rhenish, depicting the Presentation in the Temple. The ivory has been stained brown and is surmounted by three cusped and crocketted arches. The carving is high quality and the composition without St. Joseph is unusual. The devotional diptych is in many ways the object type most associated with the notion of Gothic ivory carving. The earliest examples probably date to the 1240s; these are complex, large and ambitious works that emerged, somewhat surprisingly, with no obvious precursors. The owners of ivory diptychs sometimes appear within their images. Such portraits indicate that they were special requests on the part of their commissioners, and they parallel the similar figures that appear in manuscripts and panel paintings of the period. The iconography of Gothic diptychs oscillated between two poles. The first of which is the desire to present narratives (Life of Christ and Virgin Mary) for envisaging. The second was the use of non-narrative images to form the focus of devotion. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | A.26-1940 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
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