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Source Description
This ivory plaque depicts Mary, Joseph, and one of his sons from a previous wife on their way to Bethlehem. The scene is set within an architectural frame that combines Byzantine decorative elements (such as the acanthus leaf column capitals) with Islamic architectural motifs (most notably, the distinctively rounded arches). The blending of Byzantine, Islamic, and Western iconographic elements and decorative motifs is typical for the art produced in the city of Amalfi, a prosperous merchant town near Naples in South Italy.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
149383
label
Plaque: The Journey to Bethlehem
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
149383
contentType
object
title
Plaque: The Journey to Bethlehem
description
This ivory plaque depicts Mary, Joseph, and one of his sons from a previous wife on their way to Bethlehem. The scene is set within an architectural frame that combines Byzantine decorative elements (such as the acanthus leaf column capitals) with Islamic architectural motifs (most notably, the distinctively rounded arches). The blending of Byzantine, Islamic, and Western iconographic elements and decorative motifs is typical for the art produced in the city of Amalfi, a prosperous merchant town near Naples in South Italy.
date
c. 1100–1120
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60756951
genreSpecific
Ivory
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 16.3 x 11 x 1 cm (6 7/16 x 4 5/16 x 3/8 in.)
cul
South Italy, Amalfi, Romanesque period, 12th century
accession
1978.4
Source extras
tec
ivory
tombstone
Plaque: The Journey to Bethlehem, c. 1100–1120. South Italy, Amalfi, Romanesque period, 12th century. Ivory; overall: 16.3 x 11 x 1 cm (6 7/16 x 4 5/16 x 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1978.40
collection
MED - Romanesque
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, “The Cleveland Museum of Art Acquires Six Works from Von Hirsch Collection,” August 1, 1978, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
citation
Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1978.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 66, no. 1 (January 1979): 3–48.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 7; Mentioned: p. 42, no. 20
citation
Wixom, William D. “Eleven Additions to the Medieval Collection.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 66, no. 3 (March 1979): 86–151.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 86-87, fig. 1 and Cover
citation
Evans, Helen C., and William D. Wixom. <em>The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843-1261</em>. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p.492
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein<em>. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 130-131, no. 42
citation
Pace, Valentino. <em>Una Bibbia in avorio: arte mediterranea nella Salerno dell'XI secolo. </em>Castel Bolognese: Itaca,2016.
page_number
Reproduced: P. 27
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:41:21.752000
sourceId
149383
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Romanesque
med
ivory
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
cabc1e2d4443b30f