Plaque with the Visitation
Unknown Artist
14th century
Medium
Ivory with polychromy
Dimensions
Overall: 2 11/16 x 1 3/16 x 3/16 in. (6.8 x 3 x 0.5 cm)
Classification
Ivories
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Charles F. Iklé, 1963
Accession Number
64.27.19
Art Historical Context
This delicate 14th-century French ivory plaque depicts the Visitation, a pivotal biblical scene from the Gospel of where the Virgin Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, both pregnant with divine purpose—Mary with Jesus and Elizabeth with John the Baptist. Carved in exquisite detail, the unknown artist's work captures the intimate embrace and flowing drapery typical of Gothic medieval art, emphasizing spiritual joy and humility. Its petite dimensions (just 2 11/16 x 1 3/16 inches) suggest it was a personal devotional object, perhaps part of a diptych or prayer book cover, cherished by clergy or no...