Side 1: Crucifixion with the Virgin and saint John the Evangelist; saint John the Evangelist holding a book in his left hand; cruciform halo.
Side 2: Seated Virgin and Child (Vierge glorieuse); two angels holding candlesticks; Christ holding a fruit in his left hand; Christ standing on the Virgin's left knee.
Foliated decoration: vine leaves.
Griggs 1904-1907: France, 14th century.
Koechlin 1924: France, middle of 14th century.
Longhurst 1929: France, 1st half of the 14th century.
Williamson and Davies 2014: France (Paris), c. 1310-1320.
Attribution
Unknown
Reverse
Carved on both sides.
Object Condition
Missing: top of the stem of flowers held by the Virgin; candles in candlesticks held by the angels.
Minor chip to the bottom edge of the stem. Small vertical cracks, notably on the stem.
Diagonal break where the leaf joining the volute to the stem has split.
Underside of the stem scored to aid adhesion to a lower section. the ivory peg is probably a modern addition.
Provenance
In the possession of John Webb (d. 1880), London; on loan to the the Museum from 1867; purchased from him by the Museum in 1871.
Bibliography
List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington, Acquired During the Year 1870, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition (London, [c. 1870], p. 30.
W. Maskell, Ivories Ancient and Mediaeval in the South Kensington Museum (London, 1872), no. 365-71.
Middleton, Building News, 23 February 1894, p. 245, p. 245, pl. on p. 260.
W. Griggs, Portfolio of Ivories [London, 1904-1907], pt. XVIII.
R. Koechlin, Les Ivoires gothiques français (Paris, 1924), I, pp. 271, 274; II, no. 754.
W. W. Watts, Catalogue of Pastoral Staves, Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 1924), no. 24.
M. Longhurst, Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory, Victoria and Albert Museum, 2 vols (London, 1927 and 1929), II (1929), pp. 33-34.
Spektakel der Macht. Rituale im Alten Europa 800-1800 (Spectacle of Power. Rituals in Old Europe 800-1800), ed. by B. Stollberg-Rilinger, M. Puhle, J. Götzmann, G. Althoff, exhibition catalogue, Darmstadt, 2008, pp. 88, 89.
P. Williamson and G. Davies, Medieval Ivory Carvings 1200-1550 (London, 2014), no. 146.
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