The ivory workers of the middle ages (1906) (14800001603)

Identifier: ivoryworkersmidage00cust (find matches)
Title: The ivory workers of the middle ages
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Cust, Anna Maria Elizabeth
Subjects: Ivories
Publisher: London, G. Bell and sons
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute



Text Appearing Before Image:
divisions, with The Anmmciation,and below, y^^;^ Baptist; the other wing is in theLouvre and represents the Coronation, ^\\\\ Johnthe Evangelist in the lower compartment. Before closing this short survey, one smallstatuette in the Victoria and Albert Museumshould be mentioned, as the sweet and affectionateearnestness of the Virgins face is typical of theEnglish ivories, for if far inferior to the French inactual technique, they have a depth of reverentfeeling which is too often entirely wanting in thelatter. The Italian ivory workers continued long underthe spell of the Byzantines, and when aroused tothe fresh ideas of Gothic art, their work at firstshowed few features that could distinguish it fromthe French models. Gradually the designs becameless concentrated and many differences crept in,especially in the treatment of the conventionalfoliage. The gorgeously coloured crozier in theSalting Collection is an example of this period ; itbelonged to Benci Aldobrandini, Bishop of Vol- 152
Text Appearing After Image:
MAXSELL PHOrO.) (BRITISH MUSEUM Z6. TRIPTYCH OF BISHOP GRAXDISOX OF EXETER English, fourteenth century IVORY WORKERS terra in 1331. On the top is a half-length figureof Christ between two men ; The Adoration of theMagi is figured within the crook, which emergesfrom the throat of a dragon, and just below, infour highly-painted shrines,- sit the Evangelists. In the late fourteenth century the Italianscommenced an entirely original style of carvingon narrow strips of bone. The figures with thescenic accessories are closely related to the earlyschools of painting. These sculptures, unlike theunmixed ivory of the French carvings, were alwaysframed in narrow intarsia borders. Small trip-tychs (Fig. 37) developed into enormous size, asthe great altar-piece in the old Sacristy at theCertosa at Pavia and the famous retable in theLouvre, which comes from the abbey of Poissy,and was the gift of the Due de Berri, brother ofCharles V., and one of the regents for the youngCharles VI. in 1380. It co