The ivory workers of the middle ages (1906) (14593442398)

Identifier: ivoryworkersmidage00cust (find matches)
Title: The ivory workers of the middle ages
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Cust, Anna Maria Elizabeth
Subjects: Ivories
Publisher: London, G. Bell and sons
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute



Text Appearing Before Image:
. On the upperleaf Christ is represented in glory, youthful andbeardless in type, as is often the case in Carlovin-gian ivories which come from the Germanic partof the empire. There was a flourishing school ofGerman craftsmen who closely imitated the ivoriesof the Italo-Byzantine school of the sixth century,the great abbeys having many specimens of ancientivory carving in their treasuries. The two cheru-bim and Four Evangelists with their symbolicbeasts are also strongly Byzantine ; above are bustsof the sun and moon and beneath the figures ofOcean and Earth. In fact, the arrangement isborrowed wholesale from a very frequent Carlo-vingian type of the crucifixion (Fig. 24), even tothe little tombs which have no connection with thesubject. The workmanship is delicate, but veryconventional, and the concentric folds on thisand on the second leaf, point to the influenceof the manuscripts. The second leaf represents 112
Text Appearing After Image:
SCHOBIXGER AND) (EPISCOPAL LIBRARY, SANDHERR PHOTO. ST. GALL, SWITZERLAND 23. COVER OF A BOOK OF THE GOSPELS Carlovingian, ninth century I 1 ; I IVORY WORKERS the Assumption of the Virgin, the attitude is stiffand the drapery is terribly unreal, having almostthe appearance of corrugated iron, but the move-ments of the angels are freer, especially the forwardmovement of the one on the Virgins right. The lower scene represents St. Gall taming thebears, which bring him bread whilst his companionsleeps. In this carving we see what the craftsmancan do when left to himself; it is not a very artisticproduction, but it has a freshness entirely lackingin the other panels. The ornamental panels aresplendidly carved, and recall the beautiful open-work panels on the book cover at Monza,which most probably belonged to Berenger, Kingof Italy in 888, and Emperor 916, and also themarble screens and balustrades which decorate somany Byzantine buildings. There are two moreplaques at Cluny^ which should