The Golden Age of Ivory

The Golden Age of Ivory
Author: Richard H. Randall
Publisher:
Total Pages: 168
Release: 1993
Genre: Art
ISBN:

Definitive illustrated catalogue: every medieval ivory in America. Sets new scholarly standard.

Masterpieces of Ivory from the Walters Art Gallery

Masterpieces of Ivory from the Walters Art Gallery
Author: Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore, Md.)
Publisher: Viking Penguin
Total Pages: 352
Release: 1985
Genre: Art
ISBN:

One Egyptian ivory figurine of a hippopotamus, though less than two inches long, manages to convey the heaviness and power of the animal. Ivory is a supple medium, and each age has shaped it according to its concepts of refinement, pomp, utility and beauty. The Greeks built ivory couches as a symbol of luxury. Roman general Lucius Scipio and his men carried 1231 ivory tusks in a triumphal procession. Byzantine artisans carved lifelike ivory saints and angels on miniature altar panels. Muslim craftsmen fashioned intricate inscriptions on oliphants or hunting horns made from tusks. Among the unusual or outstanding objects reproduced in this catalog of the Walters collection in Baltimore are a Cretan snake goddess, a Coptic statuette of the Virgin of Tenderness (the earliest known example of this image), a German Baroque statue of Cleopatra being bitten by a serpent, and an Art Nouveau orchid comb by Rene Lalique. More than 700 plates (100 in color) are accompanied by essays contributed by various scholars who trace this highly developed art through the centuries.

Images in Ivory

Images in Ivory
Author: Peter Barnet
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 332
Release: 1997
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780691016108

The exhibition catalog is the first survey of Gothic ivories in English. It contains essays by seven leading international scholars, including Peter Barnet (Gothic Sculpture in Ivory: An Introduction), Elizabeth Sears (Ivory and Ivory-Workers in Medieval Paris), Richard H. Randall, Jr. (Popular Romances Carved in Ivory), Harvey Stahl (Narrative Structure and Content in Some Gothic Ivories of the Life of Christ), Charles T. Little (Opera Francigeno et Germania: Gothic Ivory Carving in Germany), Danielle Gaborit-Chopin (Polychrome Decoration of Gothic Ivories), and Paul Williamson (Symbiosis across Scale: Gothic Ivories and Culture in Stone and Wood in the Thirteenth Century). Nearly one hundred of the most important examples of Gothic ivory carving from collections in Europe and the United States are catalogued by leading specialists. They are illustrated with mostly new photography and collateral photographs where appropriate. The publication conveys to the reader the major changes that occurred in art and society during the Gothic period and the rise of ivory carving for both religious and secular purposes. Organized chronologically, the catalog tells the story of the development of this art form; the people who carved, commissioned, and made use of ivories in the Middle Ages; and the impact historical developments had on the growth and eventual demise of the art form.

Medieval Ivory Carvings

Medieval Ivory Carvings
Author: Paul Williamson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2014
Genre: Art
ISBN:

"The first volume of a new catalogue of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection of medieval ivory carvings, covering the years 400-1200, appeared in 2010. The present two volumes complete the catalogue, taking in every piece carved between about 1200 and 1550; and it is satisfying to report that a further volume, on the post-medieval ivories, was published by my colleague Marjorie Trusted in 2013."--Preface, p. 9.

Ivory Carvings in Early Medieval England

Ivory Carvings in Early Medieval England
Author: John Beckwith
Publisher: Harvey Miller
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1990
Genre: Ivories
ISBN: 9780199210077

Ivory carvings are among the most beautiful achievements of medieval art. They reflect not only the deeply religious nature of the medieval world but also express the consummate skill and highly creative minds of those who carved them. The English craftsmen of the Early Middle Ages produced such renowned masterpieces as the Bury St Edmunds Cross and the Lewis Chessmen. John Beckwith provides a definitive study of English ivory carving from 700-1200 AD, which describes and illustrates over 160 carvings. He places the ivories in relation to contemporary illuminated manuscripts and enamel work. Through fascinating and lively portraits of some of the abbots and bishops who were the great patrons of their time, and in particular, Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester, he places the art form firmly within its historical and cultural context.

French Gothic Ivories

French Gothic Ivories
Author: Sarah M. Guerin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 1078
Release: 2022-09-08
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1009041622

This volume is the first to consider the golden century of Gothic ivory sculpture (1230-1330) in its material, theological, and artistic contexts. Providing a range of new sources and interpretations, Sarah Guérin charts the progressive development and deepening of material resonances expressed in these small-scale carvings. Guérin traces the journey of ivory tusks, from the intercontinental trade routes that delivered ivory tusks to northern Europe, to the workbenches of specialist artisans in medieval Paris, and, ultimately, the altars and private chapels in which these objects were venerated. She also studies the rich social lives and uses of a diverse range of art works fashioned from ivory, including standalone statuettes, diptychs, tabernacles, and altarpieces. Offering new insights into the resonances that ivory sculpture held for their makers and viewers, Guérin's study contributes to our understanding of the history of materials, craft, and later medieval devotional practices.