This ivory relief represents the Judgement of Paris and is made by Jacob Auer in Austria in ca. 1675-80. Throughout the ages artists and craftsmen have made virtuoso carvings as a display of their skill and ingenuity. Although ivory, wood and stone are relatively easy to carve, other materials such as gemstones are much more demanding. Most of these carvings were made for wealthy patrons and collectors, who delighted in the rarity of the material and quality of the carving. This ivory relief gives a classicising and elegant interpretation of the subject. The pale, fine surface of the ivory mirrors the flesh of the elongated nudes. The composition may well be based on an engraving.

Auer (1645-1706) worked in wood and rhinoceros horn, as well as ivory; he also executed the marble portal for the Benedictine monastery at Lambach (1681-93), and other full-scale stone figures, such as those at St Florian bei Linz. He may also have participated in the reliefs for the Prague Column in Vienna in about 1685. He trained under Michael Lechleitner (c.1611-1669), and in 1673 took over Lechleitner’s workshop. Generally Auer worked on small-scale sculpture, his eclectic style drawing on the work of Gianlorenzo Bernini, Giambologna and Peter Paul Rubens among others. His ivory statuettes demonstrate a vivid grasp of anatomy and dramatic movement.