Carolingian Ivory

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In this
Ivory panel,
the Apostle John holds
a book open to the words
IN PRINCIPIO ERAT VERBUM

In the Beginning
was the Word

John 1:1

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Books
in the 9th Century
were hand drawn
one page at
a time
.
Ivory
panels carved
from elephant tusks
were sometimes used to
illustrate the covers of these
early book-bindings, which
were typically religious
texts copied by
scribes
.

Here’s an
intricately carved
design mounted
to the cover of a
Gospel book
:

Carolingian Gospel Book
German, Mainz
circa 825-850

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The text
for the books
in this time period
were being copied
using a new script
called

Carolingian
miniscule

So,
these
panels are
referred to as
Carolingian Ivory
.

Here’s
a close-up
of the ivory panel
used for the cover of the
Gospel book, depicting
the baptism of
Jesus
…
notice the
Holy Spirit descending
in the form of a dove
from the hand of
God above
:

depicting the Baptism of Jesus
Elephant Ivory
circa 825

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The books
they adorned
with ivory, precious
metal and jewels, were
so valuable that they are
now referred to as the
‘Treasure Bindings’
.

Here’s another
ivory panel showing
several scenes in
great detail
.
Notice the holes drilled
into the corners
for mounting
:

depicting the Crucifixion and
the Maries at the Sepulchre
Metz, circa 850-875
17 x 10.1 cm

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This one has
a similar design,
but the extra holes
originally held gold studs
.
You can still see some of
them if you look closely.
(There is one in the
angel’s wing)
:

The Crucifixion
France (Metz) circa 860-870
11.8 x 21 cm

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Here’s one more
crucifixion carving for
the sake of comparison
:

Crucifixion and the Holy Women at the Tomb
Elephant Ivory, 23.8 x 12.3 cm
France, circa 870

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Let’s take a quick peek
behind the scenes
….
Here’s what the
back of a panel
can look like
:

Elephant Ivory Panel (back)
France, circa 870-880

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Elephant Tusk
looks like wood,
but is more like
bone or tooth
:

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Charlemagne
supported the arts
on behalf of the church
.
One of the major producers
of this work was called the
Tours Scriptorium
.

Enthroned Virgin and Child
circa 850-875
14.5 x 8.8 cm

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The Mocking of Christ
:

depicting the Mocking of Christ
Reims or Metz, circa 850-875
16.6 x 10.1 cm

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These panels were
mounted to the
front and back
covers of the
Dagulf Psalter
presented by
Charlemagne
to
Pope Hadrian I
.
The front cover depicts the
writing and singing of Psalms,
and the back cover depicts
Jerome receiving and
dictating the
psalter
:

Dagulf Psalter
Carolingian, Aachen
circa 772-795

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Tragically, the
Tours Scriptorium
disappeared after a
Viking raid in
the year
853

but
this type of
artwork had spread
throughout the
empire
.

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These
are the covers
of the Latin manuscript
Evangelium Longum
made by the monk
Tuotilo
:

Evangelium Longum
Latin, circa 900

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Here’s another dual panel;
the first scene depicts the Magi
bringing gifts, the second is
of Jesus being presented
to Simeon in the temple
:

Adoration of the Magi &
Presentation in the Temple
Metz, circa 900
11.8 x 18.1 cm

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Many of the designs from
this time period depict
the women at
the tomb
:

depicting Holy Women at the Sepulchre
Italy, early 10th century
19 x 10.8 x 0.8 cm

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Here’s a similar one
from the same time period
:

St. Gallen and the Maries
at the Sepulchre
circa 900-950
6 x 9.3 cm

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This depiction of
Christ and the Four
Evangelists was carved
in Germany about a
hundred years later
:

Christ and the Four Evangelists
Germany, circa 1050

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This is a
beautiful book
(a treasure binding)
commissioned by Henry II
for Bamberg Cathedral,
dedicated in
1012
:

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Here’s a
larger image
of the central ivory
panel which depicts the
Resurrection of the Dead
below the Crucifixion scene
.
Notice the foot of the cross
crushing the head of
the serpent
:

depicting the Resurrection of the Dead
cover plate of the Pericopes of Henry II
circa 870

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I’m hoping that the
number of crucifixion panels
has not become tedious,
but I want to show
one more that
was carved
later
.
It is not
much larger
than your
hand
.
The level of detail
for such a small work
is amazing
!!!

Narbonne Cathedral
circa 1160-1170
13.7 x x7.6 cm

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This one is
from the same
time period but is not
as detailed. It depicts
Jesus’ Ascension
into heaven
:

The Ascension
France, circa 1160-1170
13.7 x 7.6 cm

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If I had lived
in the Middle Ages,
and had the good fortune
to be able to choose my own
profession, I think working
as a book illustrator at a
scriptorium would have
been about the best
I could ever have
hoped for
…

With that thought in mind,
I saved this panel for last

…
depicting
Pope Gregory I
inscribing a codex,
as the Holy Spirit in
the form of a dove
whispers in
his ear
.

…
that
masterpiece
is the source for
this
blog article
icon
:

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Dedicated
to the Scribes
…

We all benefit
from the work
they have
handed
down
to us
…
!!!
!

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