Fragments of a Crucifixion

This sculptural relief is composed of several fragments of a fifteenth-century crucifixion scene. Two independent ivory elements compose each group of onlookers. The left-hand group represents the female relatives and followers of Jesus. The figure to the far left holds a book and raises her hand in shock while two other women hold the Virgin Mary, who wrings her hands in sorrow at the death of her son. The woman with the book is an independent ivory element, while the three figures of Virgin Mary and her two companions are carved out of a single piece of ivory. The figural group on the right depicts John the Evangelist, a soldier, and two Jews, recognizable by their pointed hats. Saint John the Evangelist, depicted with a short beard and leonine hair, throws up his hands in anguish. He is carved out of the same piece of ivory as the bearded soldier to the right, who points at his sabre. The two groups are currently glued onto a modern green velvet backing and surrounded by an architectural frame in the form of a mullioned window. The figural group is missing elements, most obviously the figure of Jesus on the cross that originally stood between the male and female groups. Comparison to a contemporary ivory diptych in the collection (acc. no. 17.190.269), suggests that these elements may have originally stood within a similar multimedia diptych representing the crucifixion and entombment of Jesus.

These recomposed fragments demonstrate the advantages and drawbacks of gluing several independent ivory appliqués to a backing of another material to produce a larger composition. An assemblage method liberated medieval carvers from the dimensions of a single elephant tusk and allowed them to make use of small fragments of ivory that would otherwise go unused in their workshop. As the current carving demonstrates, the applique technique also had its drawbacks, namely a vulnerability to loss, breakage, and disassembly. The shortcomings of this method were so problematic that the city of Paris expressly forbade sculptors (literally "images makers" or ymagiers) from assembling sculptures out of many pieces while acknowledging that the practice was widespread (Sears 1997, p, 21). The Book of Crafts or Livre des Métiers, penned by the Prevost of Paris Etienne Boileau around 1268, stipulates that "no worker of the aforementioned trade [of carving ivory sculpture] can or should work any ymage which is not wholly of one piece…and this was established by the wardens of the trade for the reason that some used to make ymages which were not well joined, and not good and proper, for they were made out of many pieces (Titre LXI, 12, Lespinasse 1879, p. 29)."

As the Livre des Métiers notes, assembling artworks out of multiple pieces was a strong draw for ivory carvers in Paris, even if it made the final products likely to break. The Louvre preserves a series of ivory appliques representing the Passion (inv. nos. 9958, 9961, 10978), and Danielle Gaborit-Chopin has identified a group of related appliques in private collections and local French museums, all produced by Parisian ivory carvers in the first third of the fourteenth century (Gaborit-Chopin 2003, pp. 365-370). Details of the figures on the current applique, especially the drapery, suggests that the ivory carver participated in a stylistic trend called Soft or Beautiful Style, a movement recognizable in the art of northern France, the Netherlands, and Germany from the third quarter of the fourteenth century until around 1420. The rippling draperies may be compared with the work of Jean de Liège, for instance his Angel of the Annunciation also in the collection (acc. no. 17.190.390).

While the assembly of ivory carvings out of numerous elements may not have been considered a best practice in the fourteenth century, the widespread survival of ivory appliques from the fifteenth century suggests that changing circumstances made it more permissible in the fifteenth. The fifteenth century witnessed a sharp decline in the supply of ivory in northern Europe. The destruction of the Cypriot town of Famagusta, the main entry point of ivory commerce into Europe, in 1376 and the conquest of Normandy by the English during the course of the Hundred Years War reduced the quantity and quality of ivory in northern Europe. As the applique method allowed ivory carvers to create large-scale works out of thin, small, and otherwise unusable pieces of ivory, it allowed hard-pressed carvers to stretch the supply of an expensive and increasingly rare raw material, ensuring the survival of their trade under unfavorable circumstances.

Further Reading:

Elisabeth Sears, "Ivory and Ivory Workers in Medieval Paris," in Images in Ivory: Precious Objects of the Gothic Age (Detroit: Detroit Institute of Arts, 1997), pp. 18-38.

Danielle Gaborit-Chopin, Ivoires Médiévaux, ve – xve Siècle (Paris: Musée du Louvre, 2003).

Danielle Gaborit-Chopin, "Le Commerce de l’ivoire en Méditerranée Durant le Moyen Age," Bulletin Archéologique 34 (2008), pp. 23-33.




Catalogue Entry by Scott Miller, Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial and Research Collections Specialist, Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, 2020–2022

J. Pierpont Morgan (American), London and New York (until 1917)