North French, circa 1360

the left wing with two white labels on the reverse inscribed: 1xxn/y and 15 in ink and a red label numbered: 743 in ink

Baron Ribeyre et Associes, Richelieu-Drouot, Paris, 27 March 2009, lot 122
with A&E Foster, Naphill
private collection, London

Gothic Ivories Project. Diptych, 1 register, 3 paired arches across (plaquettes; frise d'arcatures) (Front), available at: http://www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/images/ivory/cc6693a7_b101e3db.html. [Accessed 18 May 2013]

Overall the condition of the ivory is good. There is some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age, with a few minor chips to the edges and corners of the reliefs. There is some natually occurring stable hairline splitting visible, consistent with material. The panel with the Virgin has a restored break running from the top left corner to the lower edge between the left hand angel and the Virgin (to the reverse, it terminates in a loss here). The angel on the right has a small area of restoration to the face. There is also a more prominent split to the centre of the panel, most visible to the reverse, where it terminates in a chip. The panel with the Crucifixion has a restored chip to the bottom right corner. There are remnants of corroded hinges to the inner edges of both plaques. On the top edge of each plaque there is a pair of filled holes. A radio carbon dating measurement report by RadioCarbon Dating dated 27 April 2009 (RCD-7247) shows that the ivory was made between 1220 and 1390.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Pocket-sized ivory diptychs, conveniently hinged to close flat, were produced in large numbers in the 14th century to satisfy the popular demand for portable devotional imagery. The scenes of the Glorification of the Virgin, holding the Christ Child, and the Virgin and St. John sorrowful at the foot of the cross, were frequently paired to juxtapose two great Christian mysteries: Christ's Incarnation and the Passion. This didactic strategy would not have been lost on the worshipper, who would have meditated on the relationship between the two scenes.  

A diptych and a further leaf in the Museum of Fine Arts, Saint Petersburg, Florida (inv. no. 68.30) and the Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts (inv. no. 1961:62) published by Randall (op.cit., nos. 110-111) as Flemish, third quarter of the 14^th century, have similar beaded borders. The same projecting architecture is visible in a French diptych from a German private collection illustrated by Koechlin (op.cit., no. 388) and another in the British Museum, London (inv. no. 1856,0623.82) from the second half of the 14^th century. The former in particular shows such a similar style of carving that it may have originated from the same workshop.

RELATED LITERATURE
R. Koechlin, Les ivoires gothiques français, Paris, 1924, vol. II, p. 163, no. 388, vol. III, pl. LXXXIV;  R. Randall, The Golden Age of Ivory. Gothic Carvings in North American Collections, New York, 1993, p. 92, nos. 110-111

A radio carbon dating measurement report by RadioCarbon Dating dated 27 April 2009 (RCD-7247) shows that the ivory was made between 1220 and 1390.