Diptych with Scenes from Christ's Passion
Unknown Artist
ca. 1350
Medium
Ivory with metal mounts
Dimensions
Overall (open): 7 1/2 x 8 9/16 x 1/2 in. (19.1 x 21.8 x 1.2 cm) Overall (closed): 7 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 7/8 in. (19.1 x 10.8 x 2.2 cm)
Classification
Ivories
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.289
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite French ivory diptych, dating to around 1350, captures scenes from Christ's Passion, the Last Supper, Judas betrayal, the Crucifix, and possibly the Entry into Jerusalem with donkeys. Crafted by an unknown artist during the Gothic era, it unfolds from a compact closed size of about 7½ x 4¼ inches to a full open panel of ½ x 8½ inches, making it a portable devotional treasure for medieval pilgrims or nobles. Ivory carving was a pinnacle of 14th-century French artistry, prized for its luminous translucency and fine detail that brought sacred narratives to life in miniature. Adorned with ornate metal mounts, this diptych exemplifies the era's technical mastery—intricate reliefs etched with precision to convey emotion and drama in everyday prayer. Such objects bridged the divine and the personal, fostering private meditation amid the Hundred Years' War's turmoil. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art department, thanks to J. Pierpont Morgan's 1917 gift, it invites us to ponder faith's intimate role in Gothic life. Gaze closely, and the figures' expressive gestures reveal a profound humanity in Christ's final hours.