Diptych with Scenes of the Life of Christ and the Virgin, Saint Michael, John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, and the Trinity
Unknown Artist
ca. 1350
Medium
Elephant ivory
Dimensions
Overall (open): 10 x 8 5/16 x 3/8 in. (25.5 x 21.1 x 0.9 cm)
Classification
Ivories-Elephant
Culture
German
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1970
Accession Number
1970.324.8a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Gothic diptych, crafted from elephant ivory around 1350 in Germany, unfolds like a portable treasure chest of faith. Measuring just 10 by 8 5/16 inches when open, it features intricate relief carvings on both panels depicting key moments from the Life of Christ and the Virgin—including the Annunciation, Crucifixion, and—alongside revered figures like Saint Michael, John the Baptist, Thomas Beck, and the Trinity. small-scale ivories were highly prized in medieval Europe as personal devotional objects, often carried by pilgrims or nobility for private prayer. Elephant ivory's smo...