and croziers. Statues of the Virgin and Child usually depicted the crowned Virgin, either
standing or seated, holding a playful Christ child. Faces were elegant and delicate, and
drapery was often in complex, V-shaped folds. By the 15th century, under the influence
of Flemish art, figures of the Virgin became more realistic and “maternal.” Portable altars
usually had at least two wings. Under frames of Gothic arches, multiple scenes were
carved. Passion cycles were common, or sometimes the Virgin and Child was paired with
a Crucifixion scene. Figures were lively,
Ivory: Crucifixion, crozier.
Photograph by B.Wag. Courtesy of the
Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
and the deep relief carving created a play of light and shadow.
The nobility and also the increasingly prosperous bourgeoisie created a demand for
luxury objects, including mirrors, combs, boxes, and ivory tablets. Scenes on these
objects often depicted themes from romances and courtly lyric poetry. Among favored
subjects were a lovers’ tryst and the attack on the Castle of Love, with delicately carved
roses serving as the weapons. For both religious and secular ivories, the elegant style of
French Gothic art found perfect expression through the medium of ivory with its precious
qualities and lustrous glow.
Karen Gould
[See also: CAROLINGIAN ART; GOTHIC ART; JEWELRY AND
METALWORKING]
The Encyclopedia 917