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Ivory carving of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus to her chest

Ivory carving resembling a tall Gothic window, with columns on each side and an arch at the top. The Virgin Mary stands in the center, her body turned slightly to her left. She wears robes, a veil, and a crown. In her left arm she holds baby Jesus. His right hand reaches out to touch Mary’s chest. Above the pair is a figure coming headfirst from the top of the arch. The figure’s hands appear to be holding Mary’s halo, which appears as a dark, worn ring around Mary’s head. The ivory is yellowed and has many dark vertical lines.

Gallery Text

Some of the most precious and finely wrought objects of the Middle Ages were made for use in the liturgical service of the church. Crosses and censers were carried in procession, while reliquaries, caskets, and shrines held the remains of saints or objects associated with them. Because of the sacred function of these objects, they were made of the most valuable materials available: ivory, bronze, enamel, rock crystal, and gold. Through their hallowed contents or their liturgical function, these objects provided access to the divine, yet they were also displays of wealth and craftsmanship. Censers and vessels were cast in bronze, while other objects, such as caskets and reliquaries, were assembled from a wooden core and covered with ivory, enamel, and gilded metal. Often, if such costly materials were out of reach, wood or other modest materials were painted and gilded to resemble them.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1931.33
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
The Virgin and Child
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
c. 1325-1350
Places
Creation Place: Europe, France, Ile-de-France
Culture
French
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/231626

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2440, Medieval Art
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ivory
Technique
Relief
Dimensions
26 x 8.4 x 2 cm (10 1/4 x 3 5/16 x 13/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Ernesta (Mrs. Louis) Stern. [Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., Inc.], sold; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1931.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Francis H. Burr Memorial Fund
Accession Year
1931
Object Number
1931.33
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Raymond Koechlin, Les Ivoires Gothiques Français, A. Picard (Paris, 1924), No. 116, p. 52; repr. in vol. of plates, pl. XXXV
  • Reproduction only, The American Magazine of Art (Aug 1931), vol. 23, no. 2, repr. in b/w p. 145
  • Richard H. Randall, Jr., The Golden Age of Ivory: Gothic Carvings in North American Collections, Hudson Hills Press (New York, NY, 1993), no. 41, p. 56, repr.
  • Elizabeth Bradford Smith, Medieval Art in America: Patterns of Collecting 1800-1940, exh. cat., Palmer Museum of Art (University Park, PA, 1996), p. 179
  • Gothic Ivories Project at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, website, Courtauld Institute of Art, 2010, http://www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/images/ivory/339D6CDB_1ceaa590.html [accessed 7-7-21]

Exhibition History

  • Unidentified Exhibition, Franconia College, 1964, Franconia College, 03/01/1964 - 03/31/1964
  • 32Q: 2440 Medieval, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu