Book Cover with Christ in a Mandorla

Description This ivory is closely related to Early Christian works such as the Saint Lupicin gospel covers in the Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris) and the Saint Paul ivory from the Musee de Cluny (Paris) both dated to the the 6th/7th century. Some inconsinstencies such as the rendering of the eyes, the masking of the angels' hands, and the lack of a throne for the seated Christ suggest the misunderstanding of a model. This together with the coarse carving style cast doubts on the authenticity of this object that could be a modern copy.

Exhibitions

• Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. 1947.

Provenance J. Campe Collection, Hamburg [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Alphonse Kann, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Alphonse Kann Sale, New York, January 6-8, 1927, lot 447; Henry Daguerre, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1930, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930