Some private devotional objects were intended to encourage meditation on the events of the Passion in great detail, cultivating a feeling of personal presence. Narrative carvings may have aided in such intense visualization. This particular choice of scenes is striking in its attention to Pontius Pilate, its depiction of both the raising of the cross and Jesus nailed to the cross, and its inclusion of the rare episode of the stripping and buffeting of Christ.
#3140. Polyptych with Scenes from Christ's Passion
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Collapsed
Collapsed
Collapsed
Wings folded in
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Polyptych with Scenes from Christ's Passion
Date:ca. 1350
Geography:Made in Rhineland, France or Germany
Culture:French or German
Medium:Ivory, paint, and gilding with metal mounts
Dimensions:Overall (open): 9 7/16 x 12 11/16 x 3/8 in. (23.9 x 32.2 x 1 cm) Overall (closed): 9 7/16 x 3 1/8 x 1 5/8 in. (23.9 x 8 x 4.2 cm)
Classification:Ivories-Elephant
Credit Line:Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number:17.190.205
Baron Albert Oppenheim, Cologne(sold 1906); J. Pierpont Morgan (American), London and New York (1906–1917)
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. "The Life of Christ: a loan exhibition of works of art illustrating episodes in the life of Christ," March 12–April 25, 1948.
Detroit Institute of Arts. "Images in Ivory: Precious Objects of the Gothic Age," March 9–May 11, 1997.
Walters Art Museum. "Images in Ivory: Precious Objects of the Gothic Age," June 22–August 31, 1997.
Catalogue officiel illustré de l'exposition retrospective de l'art français des origines à 1800. Exposition universelle de 1900. Paris: Lemercier & Cie., 1900. no. 112, p. 264.
Molinier, Emile. Collection du Baron Albert Oppenheim: Tableaux et objets d'art, catalogue précédé d'une introduction. Paris: Librairie Centrale des Beaux-Arts, 1904. no. 68, p. 30, pl. LI.
Kunz, George F. Ivory and the Elephant in Art, in Archaeology, and in Science. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1916. p. 50.
Koechlin, Raymond. Les Ivoires Gothiques Français: Volume I, Text. Paris: Editions Auguste Picard, 1924. no. 282, pp. 155,167,186,292.
Koechlin, Raymond. Les Ivoires Gothiques Français: Volume II, Catalogue. Paris: Editions Auguste Picard, 1924. no. 282, p. 125.
Koechlin, Raymond. Les Ivoires Gothiques Français: Volume III, Plates. Paris: Editions Auguste Picard, 1924. no. 282, pl. LXXIII.
The Life of Christ: A Loan Exhibition of Works of Art Illustrating Episodes in the Life of Christ. Hartford, CT: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 1948. no. 202, p. 34.
Randall Jr., Richard H. Masterpieces of Ivory from the Walters Art Gallery. Walters Art Gallery, 1985. p. 216.
Smith, Susan L. "The Bride Stripped Bare: A Rare Type of the Disrobing of Christ." Gesta 34, no. 2 (1995). pp. 131–32, fig. 7.
Barnet, Peter, ed. Images In Ivory: Precious Objects of the Gothic Age. Detroit: Detroit Institute of Arts, 1997. p. 208.
Little, Charles T. "Gothic Ivory Carving in Germany." In Images In Ivory: Precious Objects of the Gothic Age, edited by Peter Barnet. Detroit: Detroit Institute of Arts, 1997. pp. 88–89, fig. VI–13.
Petzel, Klara Katharina. Elfenbein-Diptychon mit Passions- und Erscheinungsszenen. Kolumba, Vol. 27. Cologne: Kolumba, 2007. p. 10, fig. 3.
Guerin, Sarah Margaret. "'Tears of Compunction': French Gothic Ivories in Devotional Practice." PhD diss., University of Toronto, 2009. p. 291 n. 30, fig. 6–4.
Williamson, Paul, and Glyn Davies. Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200–1550. Vol. 1. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2014. pp. 242, 254, 261.
Jean de Liège (Franco-Netherlandish, active ca. 1361–died 1381)
ca. 1381
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
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.
The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world, encompassing the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance.
