Diptych with the Death and Coronation of the Virgin
Unknown Artist
ca. 1330–50
Medium
Ivory with metal mounts
Dimensions
Overall (opened): 2 11/16 x 4 3/16 x 1/4 in. (6.9 x 10.7 x 0.7 cm) Overall: 2 11/16 x 2 3/16 x 11/16 in. (6.9 x 5.5 x 1.8 cm) wing: 2 11/16 x 2 3/16 x 1/4 in. (6.9 x 5.5 x 0.7 cm)
Classification
Ivories
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1910
Accession Number
10.134.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate French ivory diptych created around 1330–50, captures two pivotal moments in the life of the Virgin Mary: Death (or Dormition) on one panel and her Coronation in heaven on the other. Measuring just under 3 inches tall when open, its diminutive size and hinged metal mounts made it a perfect portable devotional object for medieval nobility or clergy, easily carried in a pocket or worn on a belt for private prayer. Crafted during the Gothic era, when intricate ivory carving flourished in Parisian workshops, the unknown artist employed fine chiseling techniques to render expressive ...