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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.
List of contents
| Foreword | |
| Acknowledgments | |
| Images in Ivory Essays | |
| I | Gothic Sculpture in Ivory: An Introduction | 2 |
| II | Ivory and Ivory Workers in Medieval Paris | 18 |
| III | Symbiosis across Scale: Gothic Ivories and Sculpture in Stone and Wood in the Thirteenth Century | 38 |
| IV | The Polychrome Decoration of Gothic Ivories | 46 |
| V | Popular Romances Carved in Ivory | 62 |
| VI | Gothic Ivory Carving in Germany | 80 |
| VII | Narrative Structure and Content in Some Gothic Ivories of the Life of Christ | 94 |
| Catalogue of the Exhibition | |
| The First Gothic Ivories (nos. 1-17) | 115 |
| Paris and Other Centers: Devotional Objects (nos. 18-50) | 147 |
| Secular Objects and the Romance Tradition (nos. 51-64) | 217 |
| New Developments in Ivory and Bone Carving (nos. 65-79) | 249 |
| Epilogue: Pastiches, Revivals, Forgeries, and Open Questions (nos. 80-93) | 279 |
| Bibliography | 308 |
| Index | 321 |
About the author
Peter Barnet is Associate Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Detroit Institute of Arts. He is the coauthor of Decorative Arts 1900: Highlights from Private Collections in Detroit, and author of Clothed in Majesty: European Ecclesiastical Textiles from the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Summary
Presents a survey of Gothic ivories in English. This catalogue contains essays by seven international scholars, and are illustrated with photography and collateral photographs. It conveys to the reader the major changes that occurred in art and society during the Gothic period and the rise of ivory carving for religious and secular purposes.
