Diptych with Virgin and Child and Crucifixion
Unknown Artist
14th century (?)
Medium
Ivory with metal mounts
Dimensions
Overall (open): 8 1/4 x 10 1/16 x 5/8 in. (21 x 25.5 x 1.6 cm) Overall (closed): 8 1/4 x 5 1/8 x 1 1/4 in. (21 x 13 x 3.1 cm) wings: 8 1/4 x 4 15/16 x 5/8 in. (21 x 12.5 x 1.6 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
17.190.284
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 14th-century French ivory diptych, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art collection, opens like a treasured prayer book to reveal two deeply devotional scenes. On the left wing, the Virgin Mary tenderly holds the Christ Child, surrounded by angels, embodying maternal love and divine incarnation. The right wing depicts the Crucifixion, with Christ on the Cross flanked by mourning figures, underscoring themes of sacrifice and redemption. Crafted from elephant ivory with ornate metal mounts, its compact size—8¼ x 10⅛ inches when open—made it perfect for personal d...