Gothic Ivories Project | Diptych, 2 registers, 3 arches across (frise d'arcatures) (Front)

Wing, left
Register 1: Christ in Glory with Resurrection of the Dead; angels holding Instruments of the Passion (cross; nails; spear); Virgin Mary and saint John the Baptist kneeling.
Register 2: Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds; Virgin holding the left hand of Christ.
Wing, right
Register 1: Three Holy Women at the Tomb, with angel seated on the tomb and three soldiers asleep.
Register 2: Crucifixion, with jet of blood striking the Virgin's chest; Crucifixion; swooning Virgin supported by Holy Women; saint John the Evangelist and onlookers holding scrolls; sun and moon.
Pointed trefoils in the spandrels.

Westwood 1876: France, 14th century.
Vöge 1900: France, 14th century.
Volbach 1923: France, 2nd half of the 14th century.
Koechlin 1924: France, 2nd half of the 14th century.
Museum's opinion 2010: French, 2nd half of the 14th century.

Attribution
Unknown

Hinges
Traces of two missing hinges.

Reverse
Smooth and flat. Traces of glued paper with various inscriptions including cancelled red ink inscription: 502 (back of Inv. 639) and 503 (back of Inv. 640); cancelled black ink inscription: 820 (on both wings).

Object Condition
Numerous cracks.
Missing: left hand of the angel of the right wing.

Comments
The left wing is Inv. 639; the right wing is Inv. 640.

Provenance
Acquired in 1854 for the Kunstkammer.

Bibliography
J. O. Westwood, Fictile Ivories in the South Kensington Museum (London, 1876), no. 451-452 (`73.167,168).
W. Vöge, Die Königlichen Museen zu Berlin. Beschreibung der Bildwerke der christlichen Epochen. Zweite Auflage. Elfenbeinwerke (Berlin, 1900), no. 97-98, pl. XXX.
W. F. Volbach, Die Bildwerke des Deutschen Museums, Die Elfenbeinbildwerke (Berlin, 1923), pp. 39-40, pl. 44.
R. Koechlin, Les Ivoires gothiques français (Paris, 1924), I, pp. 171, 174; II, no. 325.

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