Creative Commons License
"Praise the Lord from the Heavens"
This ivory shows Jesus Christ as God enthroned in heaven among the sun, moon, and shining stars. Four creatures (symbolizing the Evangelists), cherubim, the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist, and a multitude of angels surround him. Below, humanity and various animals of the earth and sea are giving praise to him. Compositions illustrating Psalm 148, as the present ivory does, are first attested in Byzantine wall-paintings of the mid-14th century. Russian ivory carvings very similar to this one are preserved in the Russian Museum, Saint Peterburg (inv. DRK 40) and in the Kunstsammlungen, Weimar (inv. A 27c).
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1988-1989 | A Millennium of Christianity: Russian Art from The Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 7/20/1959 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
Geographies
Russia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 3 9/16 x W: 2 1/2 x D: 3/8 in. (9 x 6.4 x 1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: Byzantine, Russian, and Ethiopian Icons
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.256