Panel from a Box with Scenes from Romance Literature
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Elephant Ivory
Dimensions
Overall: 3 7/8 x 9 3/4 x 5/16 in. (9.8 x 24.8 x 0.8 cm) Depth with lock: 9/16 in. (1.5 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
17.190.173c
Art Historical Context
This delicate panel, carved from elephant ivory in the 19th century forms part of a box adorned with vivid scenes from medieval Romance Literature—likely evoking chivalric tales of knights, damsels, and heroic quests popular in European folklore. Measuring just 3 7/8 x 9 3/4 inches, its slender depth of 5/16 inch (expanding to 9/16 with its lock) highlights the artist's mastery of intricate low-relief carving on a precious, luxury material. Though created long after the Middle Ages, the work emulates authentic medieval styles, placing it in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art collect...