Panel from a Diptych

Unknown

1370–1390 or 19th century · Elephant ivory · Medieval Art

This openwork panel is unusual in many aspects, leaving its place and time of manufacture ambiguous. The panel is pierced entirely through, a method of carving typical of Europe during the later fourteenth and earlier fifteenth centuries. However, the presence of hinges is out of keeping with the normal construction techniques of pierced ivories, suggesting that it might be a later imitation of medieval ivory carving or a very early venture into this type of carving.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1370–1390 or 19th century

Medium

Elephant ivory

Culture

French or European

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917