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Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John (possibly from a diptych)
French (Paris)
Medieval (Gothic)
about 1325–50
Place of Manufacture: Paris, France
Medium/Technique
Ivory with metal frame
Dimensions
17.2 x 10.6 x 1.6 cm (6 3/4 x 4 3/16 x 5/8 in.); Legacy dimension: Overall 6 11/16 x 4 3/16 in. (17 x 10.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John Goelet in honor of Hanns Swarzenski
Accession Number1973.690
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionThis plaque is distinguished from the large production of French Gothic ivories by its unusual size, the expressive moment of the turned heads of Mary and John and the exceptionally high relief of the carving. The undercut border and the trefoil arch of the canopy which hides the fingers of Christ enhance the three-dimensional spatial effect. The originality of the carver is revealed by the two half figures in the spandrels above the crocketed gabled canopy. In contemporary French crucifixion panels these figures are usually depected as angels swinging censors; here, however, the carver has reverted to an earlier interpretation in which the mourning figures hold a disc and a crescent, symbols of the Sun and Moon.
Provenance1950, Mrs. May S. Onsen, Washington, DC; May 10, 1950, anonymous sale (consigned by May Onsen), Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, lot 134, to Jacques Seligmann and Co., New York (stock no. 7888), possibly on behalf of Germain Seligman (b. 1893 - d. 1978), New York [see note]; February 8, 1966, sold by Jacques Seligmann and Co. to John Goelet, New York; 1973, year-end gift of John Goelet to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 9, 1974)
NOTE: In May, 1950 representatives of the Seligmann firm inquired with Parke-Bernet regarding the consignor of the relief, indicating that they were asking on behalf of the private party for whom they had bought it. Representatives of the firm then immediately informed Germain Seligman, the director of the gallery who was at that time in Paris, that the consignor was Mrs. Onsen. It is possible that Germain Seligman owned it privately and consigned it to Jacques Seligmann and Co., or that ownership of the relief transferred back and forth. Archives of American Art, Jacques Seligmann and Co. Records, General Correspondence, Box 75, Folder 12, Parke-Bernet Galleries; and Germain Seligman Correspondence, Box 137, folder 4, January-May 1950. For the date of sale to John Goelet, see Stock Catalogs, Box 284, Folder 5, Sculpture, ca. 1956-1971.
NOTE: In May, 1950 representatives of the Seligmann firm inquired with Parke-Bernet regarding the consignor of the relief, indicating that they were asking on behalf of the private party for whom they had bought it. Representatives of the firm then immediately informed Germain Seligman, the director of the gallery who was at that time in Paris, that the consignor was Mrs. Onsen. It is possible that Germain Seligman owned it privately and consigned it to Jacques Seligmann and Co., or that ownership of the relief transferred back and forth. Archives of American Art, Jacques Seligmann and Co. Records, General Correspondence, Box 75, Folder 12, Parke-Bernet Galleries; and Germain Seligman Correspondence, Box 137, folder 4, January-May 1950. For the date of sale to John Goelet, see Stock Catalogs, Box 284, Folder 5, Sculpture, ca. 1956-1971.