ticketsMember | Make a donation

Plaque with Enthroned Virgin and Child

850–875
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 304
This carving showing the Virgin and the Infant Jesus reuses an ivory plaque that might have once served as a furniture mount. The plaque, originally carved in Egypt one hundred years earlier, depicts on its back a tree flanked by birds. The recarving of pagan ivories with Christian subjects, probably to adorn a Gospel book, occurred in a workshop associated with the emperor Charles the Bald (r. 840–77), the grandson of Charlemagne. The reuse of ancient ivory plaques, not unusual in the 800s, was due to the rarity of African elephant ivory in Europe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Plaque with Enthroned Virgin and Child
  • Date: 850–875
  • Geography: Made in northern France
  • Culture: Carolingian
  • Medium: Elephant ivory
  • Dimensions: Overall: 5 11/16 x 3 7/16 x 1/4 in. (14.5 x 8.8 x 0.6 cm)
  • Classification: Ivories-Elephant
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.39
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Situla (Bucket for Holy Water), Elephant ivory with gilded copper-alloy mounts and foil inlays, Carolingian
Situla (Bucket for Holy Water)
Carolingian
860–880
Plaque with Christ enthroned with two Apostles, Elephant ivory, Carolingian
Plaque with Christ enthroned with two Apostles
Carolingian
850–875
Plaque with the Virgin Mary as a Personification of the Church, Elephant ivory, Carolingian
Plaque with the Virgin Mary as a Personification of the Church
Carolingian
ca. 800–825
Plaque with Christ Receiving Magdeburg Cathedral from Emperor Otto I, Elephant ivory, Ottonian
Plaque with Christ Receiving Magdeburg Cathedral from Emperor Otto I
Ottonian
ca. 962–968
Roundel with a Personification of the Moon, Cloisonné enamel, Copper alloy, gilding, iron back plate, Carolingian
Roundel with a Personification of the Moon
Carolingian
ca. 860–890

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.