Prayer Bead with the Expulsion of the Money Changers and the Entry into Jerusalem
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The swirling decoration of the bead’s exterior seems to anticipate the drama that unfolds within. In these two exceptional moments in his ministry, Jesus disrupts norms in the city of Jerusalem.
At the top, he expels the men charged with currency exchange at the Temple. Tables are upended. A woman flees before his rage, clutching a cage that contains doves. With remarkable ingenuity, the artist carved the birds separately and inserted them. When the bead moves, the doves flit about in their cage, as they surely would have in life.
In the lower half, Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and throngs of people turn out to greet him at the gate or glimpse the parade from a nearby tree.
The carver of this bead has framed the scenes with simple decorative motifs rather than complex Latin inscriptions.
At the top, he expels the men charged with currency exchange at the Temple. Tables are upended. A woman flees before his rage, clutching a cage that contains doves. With remarkable ingenuity, the artist carved the birds separately and inserted them. When the bead moves, the doves flit about in their cage, as they surely would have in life.
In the lower half, Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and throngs of people turn out to greet him at the gate or glimpse the parade from a nearby tree.
The carver of this bead has framed the scenes with simple decorative motifs rather than complex Latin inscriptions.
Artwork Details
- Title: Prayer Bead with the Expulsion of the Money Changers and the Entry into Jerusalem
- Date: early 16th century
- Culture: Netherlandish
- Medium: Boxwood
- Dimensions: Open: 2 15/16 × 1 3/8 × 3/4 in. (7.4 × 3.5 × 2 cm)
Closed: 1 9/16 × 1 3/8 in. (3.9 × 3.5 cm) - Classification: Sculpture-Miniature-Wood
- Credit Line: The Thomson Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (AGOID.29363)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters