Depicted on the left is the Virgin crowned as the Queen of Heaven; the Crucifixion is shown on the right. The sun and moon held by angels above indicate the sorrow of all creation at the death of Christ. Adam appears at the foot of the cross and holds a chalice, the symbol of his new priesthood and redemption through the Crucifixion. The supple, complex drapery and fleshy faces relate to sculpture in Mainz.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Diptych with the Virgin and Child and the Crucifixion
Date:early 15th century
Geography:Made in Middle Rhine Valley, Germany, possibly Mainz
Culture:German
Medium:Elephant ivory with metal mounts
Dimensions:Overall: 6 1/8 x 7 3/4 x 9/16 in. (15.6 x 19.7 x 1.5 cm)
Classification:Ivories-Elephant
Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection, 1971
Object Number:1971.49.3a, b
This diptych is composed of two ivory panels held together with metal hinges, allowing them to close together like a book. The two sides may be locked by engaging a hook on the left panel to the metal knob on the right. The left panel depicts Mary and the infant Jesus surrounded by angels, a configuration frequently called the "Glorification of the Virgin." Typically for this iconographic form, the two angels flanking Mary hold candles, while the two descending from above place a crown on her head. Mary also tramples a dragon while holding a scepter surmounted with a bird. The right panel depicts the Crucifixion, with Jesus accompanied by the mourning Mary and Saint John the Evangelist. Above the cross, a pair of angels mourn the suffering of Jesus, while a diminutive Joseph of Arimathea collects the blood flowing from his feet. On both panels the figures stand within a frame composed of two columns surmounted by a gothic arch and crocketed gable. A pair of circular trefoils occupy the spandrels formed by the gable, and the upper edge has been carved into a concave frieze decorated with balls. The architectural elements, hair, candlesticks, and cup bear significant traces of gilding, and traces of old paint are visible in the folds of Mary’s gowns and the arched frame. The ivory exhibits extensive craquelure and while in overall good condition, there are filled areas of loss around the hinges. Holes for old hardware are also visible on the outer rim of both panels.
Raymond Koechlin attributed this carving to a workshop he dubbed the "Atelier of the Kremsmünster Diptych," which he localized to the German city of Mainz. The diptych replicates the typically Parisian pairing of the Glorification of the Virgin and the Crucifixion beneath a pair of Gothic canopies. Strong compositional similarities to diptych panels in Berlin (Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, inv. 654) and Palermo (Galleria Interdisciplinare Regionale della Sicilia di Palazzo Abatellis, inv. 11430) also suggest that, like earlier Parisian carvers, the Atelier of the Kremsmünster Diptych replicated workshop models. Yet several qualities of the carving suggest a willingness to alter Parisian prototypes. The trefoils in the spandrels of the arches mimic an overall ornamental effect encountered in Parisian diptychs (see for instance Met acc. no. 17.190.288), but they dispense with the lathe-turned cones in favor of a flat ground with a central knob. Details of the tightly folded draperies also betray familiarity with contemporary trends in large-scale sculpture, especially the workshops of Claus Sluter. The general conformity of this diptych to older models and incorporation of innovative treatments of details has great implications for workshop practices in the later part of the fourteenth century. It suggests that ivory workers adapted and updated received models, and that they were not siloed as specialists in one medium or into solely small-scale work. Instead, they clearly had sustained professional contact with artists working in multiple scales and incorporated new trends into their work.
Further Reading:
Koechlin, Raymond. Les Ivoires Gothiques Français: Volume I (Paris: Editions Auguste Picard, 1924): pp. 300-302.
Richard Randall Jr., Masterpieces of Ivory from the Walters Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1985): pp. 180-184.
Sarah M. Guérin, "Introduction to Gothic Ivories," in Gothic Ivories: Calouste Gulbenkian Collection (London: Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers, Ltd., 2015): pp. 36-57.
Catalogue Entry by Scott Miller, Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial and Research Collections Specialist, Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, 2020–2022
Antoine Joseph Essingh, Cologne (until d. 1864) ; his sale, J. M. Heberle, Cologne (September 18–29, 1865, pt. II, no. 870) ; [ Frédéric Spitzer Austrian d. 1890, Paris (sold 1893)] ; his posthumous sale, Chevallier & Mannheim, Paris (April 17–June 16, 1893, no. 140) ; Goldschmidt (from 1893) ; Mrs. Otto H. Kahn (Mogmar Art Foundation), New York (sold 1943, to Brummer) ; [ Brummer Gallery, Paris and New York (sold 1949) ; Joseph Brummer Collection sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York (April 20–23, 1949, no. 651) ; Ernst and Marthe Kofler-Truniger, Lucerne (1949?–sold 1971)
Kunsthalle Basel. "L'Apocalypse: Tapisserien aus der Kathedrale von Angers," January 8–March 4, 1951.
Kunsthaus Zürich. "Sammlung E. und M. Kofler-Truniger, Luzern, Zürich," June 7–August 2, 1964.
Kunsthalle Köln. "Weltkunst au Privatbesitz," May 18–August 4, 1968.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Patterns of Collecting: Selected Acquisitions, 1965–1975," December 6, 1975–March 23, 1976.
State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. "Dekorativno-Prikladnoe Iskusstvo ot Pozdnei Antichnosti do Pozdnei Gotiki," June–December 1989.
State Hermitage Museum, Leningrad. "Dekorativno-Prikladnoe Iskusstvo ot Pozdnei Antichnosti do Pozdnei Gotiki," February–July 1990.
Catalogue illustré de la collection des objets d'art qui composent le cabinet de Mr. Antione Jos. Essingh. Cologne: J. M. Heberle, September 18–29, 1865. no. 870, p. 90, (of pt. 2).
La Collection Spitzer: Antiquité, Moyen-Age, Renaissance. Vol. I. Mâcon: Imprimerie Protat Frères, 1890–1891. Ivoire 105, p. 61.
Spitzer, Frédéric, ed. La Collection Spitzer: Antiquité -- Moyen-Age -- Renaissance. Vol. 1. Paris: Maison Quantin, 1890–1893. Ivoire 105, p. 60.
Catalogue des objets d'art et de haute curiosité: antiques, du moyen-âge & de la renaissance: composant l'importante et précieuse Collection Spitzer. Vol. 1. Paris: Chevallier and Mannheim, April 17–June 16, 1893. no. 140, p. 26, pl. III.
Koechlin, Raymond. Les Ivoires Gothiques Français: Volume I, Text. Paris: Editions Auguste Picard, 1924. no. 828, pp. 300 n. 1, 301, 302 nn. 1–2, 6, 7.
Koechlin, Raymond. Les Ivoires Gothiques Français: Volume II, Catalogue. Paris: Editions Auguste Picard, 1924. no. 828, p. 306.
The Notable Art Collection belonging to the Estate of the Late Joseph Brummer. New York: Parke-Bernet Galleries, April 20–23, 1949. no. 651, p. 163.
L'Apocalypse: Tapisserien aus der Kathedrale von Angers. Basel: Kunsthalle Basel, 1951. no. 29, p. 28.
Schnitzler, Hermann, ed. Große Kunst des Mittelalters aus Privatbesitz. Cologne: Museum Schnütgen, 1960. no. 29, pp. 24–25, pl. 23.
Kauffmann, C. M. "The Kofler Collection: An important exhibition in Zürich." The Connoisseur 156, no. 627 (May 1964). p. 20, fig. 9.
Sammlung E. und M. Kofler-Truniger, Luzern: Ausstellung. Zurich: Kunsthaus Zürich, 1964. no. 756, p. 83.
Lasko, Peter. "A Notable Private Collection." Apollo 79, no. 28 (June 1964). pp. 464, 473, fig. 18, ill. p. 470.
Schnitzler, Hermann, Peter Bloch, and W. F. Volbach. Sammlung E. und M. Kofler-Truniger, Luzern: Skulpturen – Elfenbein, Perlmutter, Stein, Holz; europäisches Mittelalter. Vol. 1. Lucerne: Verlag Räber & Cie, 1964. no. 93, pp. 28–29.
Bloch, Peter, Hermann Schnitzler, Charles Ratton, and W. F. Volbach. "Mittelalterliche Kunst der Sammlung Kofler-Truniger, Luzern." Aachener Kunstblätter 31 (1965). p. 27.
Kunsthalle Köln. Weltkunst aus Privatbesitz. Cologne: Museen der Stadt Köln, 1968. no. D 15, fig. 9, (unpaginated).
"Departmental Accessions
." Annual Report of the Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 101 (July 1, 1970–June 30, 1971). p. 21.
Raggio, Olga, ed. "Medieval Art and the Cloisters." Notable Acquisitions (Metropolitan Museum of Art) no. 1965/1975 (1975). p. 156.
Raggio, Olga, ed. Patterns of Collecting: Selected Acquisitions, 1965-1975; Explanatory Texts. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975. p. 17.
Pushkin Museum and State Hermitage Museum. Dekorativno-Prikladnoe Iskusstvo ot Pozdnei Antichnosti do Pozdnei Gotiki: Kratkii Katalog Vystavki. Moscow: Pushkin Museum, 1990. no. 52, pp. 12, 35, fig. 52.
State Hermitage Museum. Dekorativno-Prikladnoe Iskusstvo ot Pozdnei Antichnosti do Pozdnei Gotiki. St. Petersburg: State Hermitage Museum, 1990. no. 52, pp. 110–11.
Brennan, Christine E. "The Brummer Gallery and the Business of Art." Journal of the History of Collections 27, no. 3 (November 2015). p. 461.
Musée du Louvre Antoine-Köning, Élisabeth. "Quatre Ivoires Gothiques de L'Ancienne Collection Kofler-Truniger." La Revue des Musées de France: Revue du Louvre 3 (2019). p. 11, fig. 1.
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