Gothic Ivories Project | Diptych, 2 registers, 3 arches across (frise d'arcatures) (Front)

Wing, left
Register 1: Death of the Virgin (Dormition); Christ holding the soul of the Virgin; apostles including saint John the Evangelist holding a martyr's palm; apostle holding a pillow under the Virgin's head.
Register 2: Adoration of the Magi.
Wing, right
Register 1: Coronation of the Virgin; two angels holding navettes and swinging censers.
Register 2: Crucifixion with the Virgin and saint John the Evangelist.

Koechlin 1924: France, end of the 2nd third of the 14th century.
Schnitzler, Volbach, Bloch 1964: France, c. 1360.
Williamson 1987: French (Paris), mid 14th century.
Karlsruhe 1999: France (Paris), 2nd third of the 14th century.

Attribution
Unknown

Hinges
Two modern hinges.

Reverse
Smooth. Longer edges chamfered so that the back is almost curved.

Object Condition
Later holes in the upper part of both panels.

Provenance
J. E. Taylor collection, London: sold, Christie's, London, 1 July 1912, lot 80. Collection of Dr Leopold Seligmann, Cologne (until 1930). Collection of E. and M. Kofler-Truniger, Lucerne. Collection of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (b. 1921, d. 2002), Castagnola-Lugano (bought on 20 May 1971); thence by descent to the present owner.

Bibliography
E. Lüthgen, Die abendländische Kunst des 15. Jahrhunderts (Bonn and Leipzig, 1920), pl. 18.
E. Lüthgen, Die Rheinische Kunst des Mittelalters aus Kölner Privatbesitz (Bonn and Leipzig), 1921), pl. 46.
R. Koechlin, Les Ivoires gothiques français (Paris, 1924), I, p. 175; II, no. 295; III, no. LXXVI.
Mittelalterliche Kunst aus Kölner Privatbesitz (Cologne, 1927), no. 197.
H. Schnitzler, F. Volbach, P. Bloch, Skulpturen, Elfenbein, Perlmutter, Stein, Holz Europäisches Mittelalter, Sammlung E. und M. Kofler-Truniger, 2 vols (Lucerne, 1964), p. 25, no. S.74.
H. Schnitzler, P. Bloch, C. Ratton and F. Volbach, 'Mittelalterliche Elfenbein- und Emailkunst aus der Sammlung E. und M. Kofler-Truniger, Luzern', in Aachener Kunstblätter 31 (1965), p. 24, no. S.74.
P. Williamson, Medieval Sculpture and Works of Art. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection (London, 1987), pp. 118-121, no. 24.
Mittelalterliche Elfenbeinarbeiten aus der Sammlung des Badischen Landesmuseums Karlsruhe, ed. by K.-G. Beuckers (Karlsruhe, 1999), pp. 56-57, fig. 39.

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