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Source Description
This unusually large ivory carving, its shape corresponding to the shape of a tusk, shows the Christ Child embracing his mother in a pose of tender intimacy. It is one of the earliest examples of what in later Byzantine times was called Eleousa, or "Virgin of Tenderness." The relief was likely to have been used for private devotion, in either a monastic or domestic setting, as an icon (Greek for "image"). Especially striking and typical of the early medieval period in Christian Egypt are the Virgin's large head, fixed gaze, and angular drapery.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
6580
label
Virgin and Child
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
6580
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Virgin and Child
description
This unusually large ivory carving, its shape corresponding to the shape of a tusk, shows the Christ Child embracing his mother in a pose of tender intimacy. It is one of the earliest examples of what in later Byzantine times was called Eleousa, or "Virgin of Tenderness." The relief was likely to have been used for private devotion, in either a monastic or domestic setting, as an icon (Greek for "image"). Especially striking and typical of the early medieval period in Christian Egypt are the Virgin's large head, fixed gaze, and angular drapery.
provenance
Cologne, 1870s; M.-B. Meyers, Strasbourg, 1877, by purchase; Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, November 26, 1877; Michel Boy, Paris [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 15, 1905, no. 240; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1905, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
7th-8th century (Early Medieval)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ivory & Bone
reliefs
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
26.1
height
12.4
depth
5
dimensionsRaw
H: 10 1/4 x W: 4 7/8 x D: 1 15/16 in. (26.1 x 12.4 x 5 cm)
Source extras
cul
Coptic
med
ivory
creator_ids
6833
6640
collection_ids
ROM
BYZ
exhibition_ids
358
215
2816
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
6ebff7de02a79f07
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
8c20d18d009aa3ae
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no