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A rare 14th century French carved ivory diptych Circa 1330-1350, probably Paris image 1
A rare 14th century French carved ivory diptych Circa 1330-1350, probably Paris image 2
A rare 14th century French carved ivory diptych Circa 1330-1350, probably Paris image 3
A rare 14th century French carved ivory diptych Circa 1330-1350, probably Paris image 4
Lot 4Ф,Y

A rare 14th century French carved ivory diptych
Circa 1330-1350, probably Paris

Fine Decorative Arts
29 November 2022, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £4,972.50 inc. premium

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A rare 14th century French carved ivory diptych

Circa 1330-1350, probably Paris
The left hand rectangular panel or leaf depicting the Virgin and Child between angels, the Virgin with her head turned to sinister holding a flower in her right hand, one angel passing into the top of the ogival arch having placed a crown upon her head, the Christ child holding a golden apple, the two flanking angels holding pointed candles, the right hand panel or leaf depicting the Crucifixion, the figures of the Virgin and John the Beloved at the foot of the cross, the ends of the cross disappearing into the quatrefoil structure of the ogival arch, each leaf with traces of the fixings for the original hinges, the two leaves later mounted on a red plush covered wood display stand, each leaf 5.5cm x 9.1cm, the stand 19.1cm long, 14.5cm high and 9.6cm deep

Footnotes

Please note that this lot is sold with a DEFRA, Ivory Act 2018 issued certificate for a pre-1918 item of outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value.
Certificate number: 42DGMT0D
Date of issue 1/11/2022.

The iconographic pairing of the Virgin and Child with two angels and the Crucifixion is a recurring characteristic in similar French carved ivory diptychs from this period. Examples of complete diptychs and single leaves survive from this period.

A comparable to the offered lot is in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore (inv. no. 71.214; see no. 301 in Randall's 1985 catalogue)

On the Gothic Ivories archive of the Courtauld Institute of Art website, there is an example which bears a close resemblance to the first leaf (Virgin and Child and angels) of the offered lot. This is in the Musée du Louvre, Inv. OA 11817 and is 115mm high and 65mm wide, so slightly larger than the present lot. This scene, sometimes called the Vierge Glorieuse, includes a flower in the Virgin's hand (as with the offered lot), two angels holding pointed candles and the Christ child holding a piece of fruit in his left hand. The example in the Louvre also includes the bust of a man and a woman to each top corner. This leaf has been attributed to the Atelier of the Cracow casket and it has been suggested that the unusual inclusion of these busts could represent the Sun and Moon.

Additional information

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