Panel with Crucifixion
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Elephant ivory
Dimensions
Overall: 5 1/16 x 3 1/4 x 1/4 in. (12.8 x 8.2 x 0.7 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
17.190.40
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Panel with Crucifixion*, carved from elephant ivory in the 19th century, exemplifies revival of medieval European artistry. Measuring just over 5 inches tall and remarkably thin at a quarter-inch, it belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art collection, gifted by J. Pierpont in 1917. Though created centuries after the Middle Ages, its style faithfully echoes the intricate devotional ivories popular in Gothic Europe, where small-scale carvings served as personal piety objects for the devout. The panel depicts the Crucifixion of Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary a...