This ivory plaque probably once served as part of a decorative cover for a liturgical manuscript. Three holy women intent on anointing the body of Jesus approach his burial place, the Holy Sepulchre, seen here as a twostory cylindrical building. A man "robed in white," and endowed here with wings, informs them that Jesus has risen from the dead. The Roman soldiers are asleep at their posts, completely unaware of the miracle of the Resurrection that has taken place.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Plaque with the Holy Women at the Sepulchre
Date:early 10th century
Geography:Made in Milan (?), Italy
Culture:North Italian
Medium:Elephant ivory
Dimensions:Overall: 7 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 5/16 in. (19 x 10.8 x 0.8 cm)
Classification:Ivories-Elephant
Credit Line:Purchase, The Cloisters Collection and Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1993
Object Number:1993.19
Victor Martin Le Roy 1842–1918, Neuilly-sur-Seine ; Jean-Joseph Marquet de Vasselot 1871–1946, Paris ; [ Alain Moatti, Paris (sold 1993)]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Mirror of the Medieval World," March 9–June 1, 1999.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions," October 24, 2008–February 1, 2009.
Koechlin, Raymond. Catalogue Raisonné de la Collection Martin le Roy: Volume 2, Ivoires et Sculptures. Paris: Imprimerie Durand, 1906. no. 9, pl. VI.
Goldschmidt, Adolph. Die Elfenbeinskulpturen aus der Zeit der Karolingischen und Sächsischen Kaiser, VIII.-XI. Jahrhundert. Vol. 1. Berlin: Bruno Cassirer, 1914. no. 148, p. 72, pl. LXIII.
Wixom, William D. "Curatorial Reports and Departmental Accessions." Annual Report of the Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 123 (July 1, 1992–June 30, 1993). p. 33.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 1992-1993." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 51, no. 2 (Fall 1993). pp. 24–25.
Gazette des Beaux-Arts. "La Chronique des Arts: A propos d'un Musée d'atmosphère." Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 6th ser., 123 (1994). p. 46, fig. 201.
Wixom, William D., ed. Mirror of the Medieval World. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999. no. 70, pp. 57–58.
Barnet, Peter, and Nancy Y. Wu. The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture. New York and New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. no. 4, pp. 27, 193.
Evans, Helen C., ed. The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions – Online Catalogue. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008.
Barnet, Peter. "Medieval Europe." In Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1977–2008, edited by James R. Houghton. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009. pp. 23–24.
Barnet, Peter, and Nancy Y. Wu. The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture. 75th Anniversary ed. New York and New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012. p. 25.
Teteriatnikov, Natalia. "When Art Depicts Ritual: The Salerno Plaque with the Women at the Tomb." In The Salerno Ivories: Objects, Histories, Contexts, edited by Francesca Dell’Acqua, Anthony Cutler, Herbert L. Kessler, Avinoam Shalem, and Dr. Gerhard Wolf. Berlin: Gebr. Mann Verlag, 2016. p. 170, fig. 6.
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