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Ce lot a été consigné en collaboration avec Me Xavier Marambat et Me François de Malafosse à Toulouse.
FRANCE, PROBABLEMENT PARIS, XIVE SIÈCLE
Crucifixion et saint Christophe, saint François d'Assise et sainte Elisabeth de Hongrie
Details
FRANCE, PROBABLEMENT PARIS, XIVE SIÈCLE
Crucifixion et saint Christophe, saint François d'Assise et sainte Elisabeth de Hongrie
Feuillet droit de diptyque à deux registres en ivoire d'éléphant
H. 13,2 cm (5 ¼ in.), L. 7,9 cm (3 1⁄8 in.), P. 1 cm (0 3⁄8 in.)
Crucifixion et saint Christophe, saint François d'Assise et sainte Elisabeth de Hongrie
Feuillet droit de diptyque à deux registres en ivoire d'éléphant
H. 13,2 cm (5 ¼ in.), L. 7,9 cm (3 1⁄8 in.), P. 1 cm (0 3⁄8 in.)
Provenance
Marie-Anne Lalau, née Lesguillier (1729-1809), épouse de monsieur François Hyacinthe Lalau (1725-1806, officier chez le Roi et contrôleur de la maison du Roi), puis par descendance à sa filleule ;
Alexandrine Marie Anne Leroux (1804-1889) ;
Par descendance.
Alexandrine Marie Anne Leroux (1804-1889) ;
Par descendance.
Literature
S. Piet, Histoire d'une famille - Familles Lacournere Desormeaux Raimbert, 1988, p. 135, (ill).
Further Details
AN ELEPHANT IVORY RELIEF DEPICTING A CRUCIFIXION WITH SAINTS CHRISTOPHER, FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, FRENCH, PROBABLY PARISIAN, 14TH CENTURY
The rise of ivory production in the 13th and 14th centuries goes hand in hand with the increasing refinement of Parisian workshops. Beginning in the 12th century, these workshops had established themselves as major centers for the creation of both religious and secular objects (such as writing tablets, mirror cases, and portable altarpieces in the form of diptychs or triptychs), and it is here that the this panel can be situated. Originally, it formed the right wing of a devotional diptych intended to accompany its owner’s private meditation.
The piece follows a traditional two-register composition, framed by trilobed arches and an architectural border adorned with pinnacles, finials, and carved corbels. The upper register depicts a Crucifixion, while the lower one brings together three protective saints: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Saint Francis of Assisi, and Saint Christopher. In both scenes, a praying nun appears. Although her monastic clothing does not clearly indicate her order, the devotion expressed toward two Franciscan figures suggests that the patroness was, directly or indirectly, associated with the order founded by Saint Francis in the early 13th century. Kneeling before the saint as he receives the stigmata, the nun seems to symbolically link Elizabeth’s Franciscan cord with Christopher’s pilgrim staff, forming a spiritual triad uniting charity, faith, and devotion. The presence of saints from a still relatively new order at the time bears witness to the rapid spread of Franciscan ideals and their influence within female religious communities.
The repeated depiction of a donor in both registers, an exceptionally rare feature among surviving diptychs, finds a remarkable parallel in a left panel now in the collection of Sir Julius Wernher (1850-1912), on loan to Ranger’s House, London (fig. 1, inv. 88259345, English Heritage). The upper register of that panel shows the Virgin and Child in Majesty flanked by two candle-bearing angels and accompanied by the same praying donor, while the lower register presents an Adoration of the Magi, with the donor offering her soul to the Virgin and Child. The identical dimensions, similar architectural framing with arches and pinnacles, the presence of the same kneeling nun, and the consistent treatment of faces, draperies, and elongated hands leave little doubt that the two once formed a single object. The ensemble is distinguished by a highly original style: almost high-relief modeling, meticulous rendering of fabrics and anatomy, almond-shaped eyes, and elongated gestures, all hallmarks of a leading Parisian workshop.
The continuous provenance of this panel, which has been passed down faithfully within the same family since the 18th century, gives it an exceptional patrimonial value. While interest in Gothic art would not re-emerge until the 1830s, it appears that this piece was preserved and transmitted not for its aesthetic or historical worth, but for its spiritual and symbolic significance. It thus powerfully embodies the enduring presence of a deeply internalized medieval devotion.
Please note this lot contains elephant ivory. With its intra-community certificate obtained ahead of this sale, it can be exported within the European Union. It can only be exported outside of the European Union if the buyer is a museum, subject to specific provision set out under EU Regulation 2021/C 528⁄3.
The rise of ivory production in the 13th and 14th centuries goes hand in hand with the increasing refinement of Parisian workshops. Beginning in the 12th century, these workshops had established themselves as major centers for the creation of both religious and secular objects (such as writing tablets, mirror cases, and portable altarpieces in the form of diptychs or triptychs), and it is here that the this panel can be situated. Originally, it formed the right wing of a devotional diptych intended to accompany its owner’s private meditation.
The piece follows a traditional two-register composition, framed by trilobed arches and an architectural border adorned with pinnacles, finials, and carved corbels. The upper register depicts a Crucifixion, while the lower one brings together three protective saints: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Saint Francis of Assisi, and Saint Christopher. In both scenes, a praying nun appears. Although her monastic clothing does not clearly indicate her order, the devotion expressed toward two Franciscan figures suggests that the patroness was, directly or indirectly, associated with the order founded by Saint Francis in the early 13th century. Kneeling before the saint as he receives the stigmata, the nun seems to symbolically link Elizabeth’s Franciscan cord with Christopher’s pilgrim staff, forming a spiritual triad uniting charity, faith, and devotion. The presence of saints from a still relatively new order at the time bears witness to the rapid spread of Franciscan ideals and their influence within female religious communities.
The repeated depiction of a donor in both registers, an exceptionally rare feature among surviving diptychs, finds a remarkable parallel in a left panel now in the collection of Sir Julius Wernher (1850-1912), on loan to Ranger’s House, London (fig. 1, inv. 88259345, English Heritage). The upper register of that panel shows the Virgin and Child in Majesty flanked by two candle-bearing angels and accompanied by the same praying donor, while the lower register presents an Adoration of the Magi, with the donor offering her soul to the Virgin and Child. The identical dimensions, similar architectural framing with arches and pinnacles, the presence of the same kneeling nun, and the consistent treatment of faces, draperies, and elongated hands leave little doubt that the two once formed a single object. The ensemble is distinguished by a highly original style: almost high-relief modeling, meticulous rendering of fabrics and anatomy, almond-shaped eyes, and elongated gestures, all hallmarks of a leading Parisian workshop.
The continuous provenance of this panel, which has been passed down faithfully within the same family since the 18th century, gives it an exceptional patrimonial value. While interest in Gothic art would not re-emerge until the 1830s, it appears that this piece was preserved and transmitted not for its aesthetic or historical worth, but for its spiritual and symbolic significance. It thus powerfully embodies the enduring presence of a deeply internalized medieval devotion.
Please note this lot contains elephant ivory. With its intra-community certificate obtained ahead of this sale, it can be exported within the European Union. It can only be exported outside of the European Union if the buyer is a museum, subject to specific provision set out under EU Regulation 2021/C 528⁄3.
Brought to you by
Olivia Ghosh
Specialist