File:The ivory workers of the middle ages (1906) (14780084005).jpg

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

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Text Appearing Before Image:
irgin and St. John.This is a type which seized the imagination of theGerman people, who constantly repeated it, losing,perhaps, in technique, but gaining in vigour andexpression, as will be seen on referring to Fig. 24. The plaque in the Cabinet des Medailles of theBibliotheque nationale, Paris (Fig. 20), is a fittingend to an account of the ivories of the Byzan-tine Renaissance. It represents the EmperorRomanus IV. and the Empress Eudoxia beingcrowned by Christ. It is doubly interesting, asthrough its certain date (the Emperors reign onlylasting four years 1067-1071), we can compare itwith earlier work, as the Cortona Reliquary or theHarbaville triptych (Fig. 17), and see that aftermore than a hundred years the art had not changedfor better or worse. This plaque is also interestingfrom its artistic value, which is very high, the figureof Christ being one of the finest in the whole rangeof Byzantine ivory carving. We can see that theartist was perfectly capable of rendering drapery 92
Text Appearing After Image:
A. GIRAUDOX PHOTO.) (cabinet DES Mf.DAILLES, BIBLIO-THEQUE XATIONAT,E. PARIS 20. ROMANUS IV. AND EUDOXIA CROWNED BY CHRIST Bvzantine. eleventh centurv IVORY WORKERS in a soft and pliant manner, yet the tyranny ofthe court etiquette compelled him to envelope theBasileus and Basilissa in the stiffest of sheaths,covered with a regular mosaic of jewels ; and to payhonour to the Saviour he was obliged to placeunder His feet thattriple platform of hideous device. The composition of the figures is not the in-vention of the painters, but the law of tradition ofthe Catholic Church/ These are the words of adecree of the Nicene Council in the eighth century,and it is not surprising that these compositions,settled on theological grounds were inclined tobe unvarying and hieratic, the wonder is that theyhave so many artistic qualities. Another bondfor the unfortunate artist was a certain work calledA Guide to Painting, in which minute regulationsare laid down for every detail of form and colour-ing

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