Diptych with Scenes from the Life of Christ
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Elephant ivory with metal hinges
Dimensions
Overall (closed): 6 1/4 x 2 11/16 x 13/16 in. (15.8 x 6.9 x 2 cm) Overall (opened): 6 1/4 x 5 7/16 x 3/8 in. (15.8 x 13.8 x 1 cm)
Classification
Ivories-Elephant
Culture
European (Medieval style)
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.272
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate diptych, carved from elephant ivory and fitted with metal hinges, offers a window into 19th-century Europe’s fascination with medieval art. Though created long after the Middle Ages, the piece faithfully revives the portable objects once carried by clergy and wealthy pilgrims. When closed, it measures just over six inches tall, allowing it to slip easily into a pocket or travel case; opened, its two panels reveal intimate scenes from the life of Christ, culminating in the Crucifixion. Ivory carving enjoyed renewed popularity in the 1800s as artists and collectors sought to recap...