Crozier Head with the Crucifixion and the Virgin and Child
Unknown Artist
ca. 1300–1325
Medium
Elephant ivory, with traces of paint and gilding
Dimensions
Overall: 4 1/8 x 4 3/16 x 3/4 in. (10.4 x 10.6 x 1.9 cm)
Classification
Ivories-Elephant
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.278
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the sacred world of 14th-century France with this stunning *Crozier Head with the Crucifixion and the Virgin and Child*, crafted around 1300–1325 by an unknown artist. Fashioned from elephant ivory—a rare, luxurious material symbolizing purity and imported from distant lands—this liturgical object served as the top of a bishop's crozier, or pastoral staff. The hooked form evoked a shepherd's crook, reminding clergy of their duty to guide the faithful, much like Christ the Good Shepherd. One side vividly depicts the Crucifixion, surrounded by mourning angels, capturing the raw emotio...